Transcript Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence

Sexuality in Childhood and
Adolescence
Chapter 6
Relationships in
Infancy/Early Childhood
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Attachment Theory
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Attachment “styles”
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Internal Working Models
Sexuality in
Infancy/Childhood
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Early capacities for sexual response
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Boys have erections in utero
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Biological basis of sexual response
Childhood Sexuality
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Curiosity/sex play are normal in early
childhood
Parental attitudes/responses shape
sexual attitudes: guilt and shame
Childhood Sexuality and
Childhood Sexual Abuse
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Correlation between the frequency of a
child’s sexual behaviors and the
occurrence of sexual abuse
Abnormal Sexual Behavior in
Childhood
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Often correlates to childhood sexual
abuse
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Sexual behavior is directed at adults
Behavior is more similar to adult sexual
expression
Use of coercion, bribery, force, or
manipulation
Puberty and Sex Drive
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Early sexual arousal is linked to sex
drive, desire for casual sex, and higher
numbers of sexual partners
Early pubertal development is also
linked to early initiation of sexual
activity
Factors Influencing
Adolescent Sexuality
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Parental involvement/discussion
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Youth who discuss sex with their parents
are less likely to engage in risky behavior
(O’Donnell, 2005)
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Youth who discuss sex with their parents
are more likely to take precautions and
have fewer sexual partners (Camp, 2005)
Peer Influences
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Peers often share misinformation about
sexuality
Youth tend to overestimate the number
of peers engaging in sex
Role of peer pressure
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*Peer pressure article
Media
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Media: one of the primary sources for
sexual information
Age of First Intercourse
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Changes after the sexual revolution of
the 1960s
Sex before marriage and at a younger
age became more prevalent
First Intercourse
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Changes again during the turn of the
21st century
Declines in the number of youth having
sex
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Increase in condom use and use of
contraceptives
Adolescents and Sex
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More permissive attitudes toward sex
Pregnancy and sexual risk taking
continues to be a problem, though teen
pregnancy has declined in the US
Sexual behaviordevelopmental concerns
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13% of teen girls and 6% of teen boys
felt uncomfortable/did not want their
first sexual experience to happen when
it did
Emotional maturity and developmental
level
Factors influencing teenage
sexuality
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Alcohol use
Having a boyfriend/girlfriend
Poor parental monitoring/permissive
parental attitudes
Low SES
Teen Pregnancy
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Decrease in teen pregnancy and
abortion
US- teen birth rate is the highest in the
developed world
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22% of teen pregnancies are planned
Teen Pregnancy
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Associated with poverty/economic
hardship
Babies born to teen moms have twice
the risk for low birth weight
1/3 of teen moms receive inadequate
prenatal care
Teenage Fatherhood
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Risk Factors:
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Race/SES
Permissive attitudes toward teen
fatherhood
Poor school achievement/delinquency
Article Discussion
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Perspectives on teen sexuality
Gay, Lesbian, and
“Questioning”Adolescents
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Many GLBT teens report feeling
“different” in early childhood
Most have heterosexual relations, but
feel ambivalent about the experience
Gay, Lesbian, and
“Questioning” Adolescents
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Society continues to construct sexual
minorities as problematic
Parents/teachers contribute to
homophobia by ignoring peer
harassment (Finz, 2000)
Gay, Lesbian, and
“Questioning” Adolescents
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GLBT teens have a high incidence of
depression, substance abuse, and
attempted suicide (Harrison, 2003)
The question of having a gay identity
Current Research on
GLBT Youth
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GLBT youth- “at risk”:
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Victimization
School challenges
Substance use and abuse
Suicidal thoughts/attempts
GLBT youth
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“sexual minority” youth
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Adolescent development- increased stress
due to societal marginalization (Russell,
2002)
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A “culturally stigmatized” identity
GLBT youth
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Central contexts to development
(Russell, 2002):
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Family
Faith communities
School
GLBT youth
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Family:
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“coming out” vs. remaining silent:
developmental concerns
GLBT youth
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Faith communities:
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Many reinforce cultural negativity about
sexual minorities
GLBT youth
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School (Russell, 2002; Jerome, 2001):
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GLBT youth:
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Higher drop-out risk
Harassment/discrimination
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Many fear for their safety
Schools remain silent
GLBT youth:
Resilience
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Resilience:
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Capacity to thrive, overcome, and actualize
our potential
GLBT youth: Resilience
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Creating “spaces” to explore sexual
identity
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Internet communities
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Gay-Straight Alliances
Jerome article
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“Realities of Growing up Gay”
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Youth narratives documenting their
experiences
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Discrimination/harassment in school
Identity conflicts
Savin-Williams
“The New Gay Teen”
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Sexual minority youth:
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rejection of “gay” as an identity
Motives for rejecting gay
identities
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Typical Assumptions:
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Safety
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Internalized homophobia
Motivations
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Fluidity of sexual identity
Rejection of “gay” as it is
socially/culturally/politically constructed
Implications for Research
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Research does not sufficiently address
these adolescents
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Differences between gay and “new gay”
teens?
Implications for Research
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Support for conceptualizations of the
“continuum” of orientation
Calls into question research on
psychological development of gay youth