Transcript Adolescent Psychology

Chapter 6: Sexuality Part 2
 Adolescent
pregnancy
 Sexually
transmitted infections
 Forcible
sexual behavior
 Sexual
harassment
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Once virtually invisible & unmentionable
Shuttled off to homes for unwed mothers where
relinquishment of the baby for adoption was their
only option
Subjected to unsafe & illegal abortions
Yesterday’s secret has become today’s dilemma.
US: Over 200,000 females have a child before 18
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U.S. continues to have one of the highest rates
of adolescent pregnancy & childbearing in the
developed world, despite a considerable
decline in the 1990s
U.S. rates are similar to those of Russia &
several E. European countries: Bulgaria
2X those of Canada & Great Britain
4X the rates in France, Sweden, Germany, &
Japan.
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In Europe & Canada, childbearing is regarded
as an adult activity.
Unclear messages about sexuality in the U.S.
Access to family planning services?
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In 2004, births to adolescent girls fell to a
record low (Child Trends, 2006).
The greatest drop in the U.S. adolescent
pregnancy rate in recent years has been for
15- to 17-year-old African American girls.
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Fear of STDs
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School/community health classes
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Greater hope for future
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Issue of great debate…
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Easier to obtain in some countries (Scandinavian
countries), than in U.S.
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In U.S. abortion & adolescent sexual activity are
more stigmatized
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In U.S., 19% of abortions are performed on 15- to
19-year-old girls
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<1 % are carried out with those less than 15 years
of age (2003)
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Legislation mandating parental consent is justified by
several assumptions:
• High risk of harm from abortion
• Adolescents’ inability to make an adequately informed decision
• Benefits of parental involvement
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Regardless of research outcomes, pro-life & pro-choice
advocates are convinced of the rightness of their positions.
This debate is founded in religious beliefs, political
convictions, & morality, not science or research findings.
This conflict has no easy solutions
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Health risks for both baby & the mother
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Infants more likely to have low birth weights
• A prominent factor in infant mortality—as well as
neurological problems & childhood illness
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Adolescent mothers often drop out of school
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Can you think of other consequences?
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Often see self as omnipotent & indestructible;
believe that bad things can’t or won’t happen
to them (adolescent egocentrism)
Informing adolescents isn’t enough
◦ Self-acceptance regarding their sexuality seems to
predict contraceptive use…so how do we promote
sexual self-acceptance?
Prevention is most often based on the belief
that adolescents have the cognitive ability to
approach problem solving in a planned,
organized, & analytical manner
Do adolescents have this ability?
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Some adolescents 16+ have these capacities, but
this doesn’t mean they use them, especially in
emotionally charged situations, such as when they
are sexually aroused or are being pressured by a
partner
• Young Adolescents (10 - 15) experience sex in a
depersonalized way; filled with anxiety & denial.
• Middle adolescents (15 - 17) often romanticize sexuality.
• Late adolescents (18 - 19) more realistic & future-oriented
about sexual experiences, as they are about careers &
marriage.
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Children of adolescent parents may face problems
even before they are born.
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Adolescent mothers are less competent at child
rearing.
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Adolescent mothers have less realistic expectations
for their infants’ development than do older
mothers
Children born to adolescent mothers may not
perform as well on intelligence tests & may have
more behavioral problems than children born to
mothers in their twenties (Silver, 1988).
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The majority of adolescent fathers are not
involved
Adolescent fathers have lower incomes, less
education, & more children than do men
who delay having children until their 20s.
Many young fathers have little idea of what
a father is supposed to do.
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Sex education & family planning
Access to contraceptive methods
The life options approach
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Broad community involvement & support
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• – motivates to reduce pregnancy risk
Baby Think it Over Doll
Teen Outreach Program (TOP)
Girls, Inc. (Roth & others, 1998).
Growing Together
Will Power/Won’t Power
Taking Care of Business
Health Bridge
Abstinence
(Duckett, 1997)
(Dryfoos & Barkin, 2006).
Contracted primarily through sexual contact
• Not limited to vaginal intercourse; includes
oral-genital & anal-genital contact
• Increasing health problem
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3 STIs caused by viruses:
• AIDS, genital herpes, & genital warts
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3 STIs caused by bacterial infections:
• gonorrhea, syphilis, & Chlamydia.
Forcible Sexual Behavior & Sexual Harassment
◦ Rape
◦ Date, or Acquaintance Rape
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Sexual Harassment
◦ Sexual comments, jokes, gestures, & looks
◦ Sexist remarks & covert physical contact
◦ Sexual rumors
◦ Blatant propositions & sexual assaults
◦ Quid Pro Quo…
◦ Hostile Environment
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Sexual Literacy
• Sexual information is abundant
• Information or misinformation?
• Example: Most adolescents do NOT know at what stage of
the menstrual cycle females are most likely to get pregnant
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Sources of Sex Information
• Adolescents can get information about sex from many
sources
• parents, siblings, schools, peers
• magazines, television, & the Internet.
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A special concern is the ACCURACY of sexual
information (adolescents, parents, teachers…)
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Many parents feel uncomfortable talking about sex
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Many adolescents feel uncomfortable talking about sex
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Adolescents are far more likely to talk about sex with
mothers than with fathers (Kirkman, Rosenthal, & Feldman,
2002).
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Female adolescents use protection more when they can
communicate about sex with their parents.
93% of Americans support teaching of sex ed in
H.S.
• 84% support its teaching in middle/junior high
schools (SIECUS, 1999).
• Sex education in U.S. schools today
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• Increasingly focused on abstinence
• less likely to present students with comprehensive
teaching
• birth control, abortion, & sexual orientation
Institute, 2003a; Santelli & others, 2006).
(Alan Guttmacher
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Sex Information & Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)
www.siecus.org
◦ This organization serves as an information clearinghouse about sex education. The
group’s objective is to promote the concept of human sexuality as an integration of
physical, intellectual, emotional, & social dimensions
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The New Gay Teenager (2006) Richard Savin-Williams Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
◦ Leading researcher on adolescent gay males & lesbians, Savin-Williams examines many
aspects of their development & relationships
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National Sexually Transmitted Diseases Hotline (800–227–8922)
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Alan Guttmacher Institute
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AIDS Hotline (National AIDS Information Clearinghouse)
◦ This hotline provides information about a wide variety of sexually transmitted infections
www.guttmacher.org
◦ The Alan Guttmacher Institute is a resource for information about adolescent sexuality.
The Institute publishes a well-respected journal, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive
Health (renamed in 2003, formerly Family Planning Perspectives), which includes
articles on many dimensions of sexuality, such as adolescent pregnancy, statistics on
sexual behavior and attitudes, and sexually transmitted infections
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800–342–AIDS
800–344–SIDA (Spanish)
800–AIDS–TTY (Deaf)
◦ The people answering the hotline will respond to any questions children, youth, or adults
have about HIV infection or AIDS. Pamphlets and other materials on AIDS are available.
The rates among adolescents of premarital pregnancy and of
sexually transmitted diseases are unacceptably high. Use the
knowledge you gained from the text and from class lectures
and/or discussions to develop a sex education program for
adolescents. Consider the following questions before putting
your thoughts down on paper.
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What should be the goals of your program (e.g., accurate
factual understanding, instilling of values)?
Should students and/or parents be surveyed concerning the
desired content of the program?
At what grade should the program start? What ages will it
span? At what grade will it end?
How will you respond to parental concerns about sex
education leading to promiscuity?
What criterion will be used to measure the success of the
program?
What methods should be used to present the program content?
What is the program content?
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Developed countries with liberal sexual attitudes, accessible contraceptive
services for teens, and formal sex education programs have lower teenage
pregnancy rates.
Teens are usually sexually active for a number of months before seeking
information about contraceptive methods.
Three-fourths of sexually transmitted diseases occur in people 19 years old
and younger.
Babies born to adolescent mothers have twice the mortality rate of babies born
to mothers in any other age group.
About 55 percent of births among teenagers are out of wedlock.
One-tenth of all teenage females become pregnant each year.
About 15 percent of all live births in this country are to teenage mothers.
One-third of all pregnancies among adolescents are aborted.
Only half of sexually active teens use contraception regularly.
Eighty-five percent of pregnancies among 15- to 19-year-old girls were
unintentional.
Sexually active girls who use drugs are more likely to get pregnant.
One-half of all first-time premarital pregnancies occur in the first six months
of sexual activity.
A large percentage of adolescents do not realize that venereal diseases come
from sexual activity.
Many adolescents feel that if you do not want to get pregnant, you will not.