Sexuality in Adolesence

Developmental Concept Paper #1
Sexuality in Adolescence
Leah Pyle
Ivy Tech Community College
February 19, 2013

The development of adolescents varies a great deal from the development of 0-11 year olds. The adolescent stage is called puberty, which in most cultures is where “the rites of passage” occurs and is celebrated with different names and activities. For example, if an adolescent is Jewish, a bar or bat mitzvah would be celebrated depending on the gender. Other religions and ethnicities celebrate the “rites of passage” differently, but usually around the age of 15. The other ways in which adolescents develop differently from 0-11 year olds is physically, psychosexually, sexually, how much their environment and peers influence them, and other complex issues. First, physical development brings big changes like major height and weight gains, boys develop a lower voice, and girls develop breasts. Body image begins to be important to a developing adolescent. Developing early or later than the rest of their classmates can prove to be an awkward experience if one becomes fatter, taller, large breasts in girls, or more muscle-like physique in boys than others. Crossing the threshold into puberty begins with menarche for a female, the beginning of menstruation. For boys, the threshold is a gradual change in muscle tone, deeper voice, but most view ejaculation is the first sign of sexual development. Boys also have an increase in appetite, their frame changes to appear more adult male. Males vary in when they develop and begin to shave at different times, also “spontaneous erections” occur, which sometimes are uncontrollable and make feelings and activities awkward throughout the day. Males have an “increased sexual desire” that is “often released through nocturnal emissions and increased masturbation.” Not only do adolescents develop physically, but also psychosexually. Changes take place in emotional self-awareness and sexual behavior. Forming best friend relationships becomes very important to adolescents along with forming other intimate relationships. Sexual orientation is explored during this part of developing and romantic relationships are formed. Dating begins and other social activities become popular such as school dances, parties at friend’s houses, going out in groups. The inner struggle to understand what society portrays to be acceptable begins as each adolescent tries to attain “manhood” or “womanhood”.
Sexual behavior changes as adolescents desire to experiment, some being promiscuous, and other practicing abstinence. At this stage the orgasm is discovered and both males and females strive to achieve the orgasm through masturbation. Most adolescents masturbate by the age of 15. Individuals, peer pressure, and family opinions and beliefs effect when an adolescent decides he or she is ready for sex. Some adolescents remain abstinent because of family beliefs that premarital sex is wrong or simply because the teen has decided for themselves that he or she is not ready to partake in sexual intercourse. Some adolescents decide to wait to have sex until they are married.
Sexual contact is explored through different types of sex like kissing, petting, oral sex, sexual intercourse, and anal sex. Usually kissing and touching are the first steps in exploring their sexual contact with a partner beginning around the age of 12 or 13. Oral sex has become a more popular route before actual intercourse takes place to save virginity, but oral sex is also take place after intercourse. Adolescents also experience anal sex. According to studies, anal sex is normally experimented with after intercourse has already happened between couples. Anal sex is losing their virginity to gay adolescents and is their crossing of the sexual threshold. The average age is about 17 years old that adolescents first engage in sexual intercourse, and is normally with a partner in which they are in a relationship with. Some high school students are unsure about their sexual orientation. Only a very low percentage claim to be homosexual or bisexual.
There are differences in sexuality based on one’s ethnicity. Different cultures, religions, and ethnicity have different views on birth control, abortion, teen pregnancy, STI’s, and birth rates. The decision to be sexually active is influenced by social factors such as peers, family, and religious beliefs. It is important that adolescents have the approval of their friends and often times, someone who is not quite ready for sex, is peer pressured into it in order to be more accepted among their friends. In most American homes, parents do not have the “sex talk” with their teens, but if they do, it is usually the mother who reaches out in Latino cultures. If the “talk” is given to a teen, usually mothers talk to daughters and fathers talk to sons. Studies show that girls who have a closer relationship with their father, delay having sex. Studies also show that if a mother shows disapproval of sex to her daughter, then the daughter will delay having sex. Religious youth also tend to delay sex because of their belief in premarital sex being wrong, however once these teens do participate in sex for the first time, their religious practices tend to fade away.
Studies show that 80% of teens use a method of contraceptive the first time they have sex. Studies also show that high percentages of teens would be accepting of a pregnancy outside of marriage. Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school, “have poorer physical and mental health, and be on welfare than their non-childbearing peers, and their children often have lower birth weights, poorer health and cognitive abilities, more behavioral problems, and fewer educational opportunities.” Usually the teenage mother is the one who raises the child, and her entire family pulls together to assist in the baby’s rearing. Very few times is the teenage father expected to help raise the child even though he helped in the conceiving aspect. Society judges the teenage mother more harshly than the teenage father. Especially within American society, there are a high number of teenage pregnancies; however Americans do not provide many day-care services for single parents. Much effort and changes are needed in order to lower the number of unwanted teenage pregnancies.
Teenagers who are sexually active are at great risk to get an STI, sexually transmitted infection. Chlamydia and gonorrhea rates are much higher in 15-19 year old females. STI rates are lower each year. “Increasing condom use in all teens, regardless of sexual orientation, is imperative in decreasing STIs.” Sex education programs are extremely important to keeping our present and future generations safe and aware of STIs and preventing any unwanted teenage pregnancies.
Teen pregnancy is a common issue around the world, but compared to other countries, the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate and the lowest contraceptive use. Compared to France, Germany, and the Netherlands, just to name a few, the United States has a much higher teen pregnancy rate. Since the 1940’s teen pregnancy rates has decreased. There was a slight increase in 1991, but from 1940-2007; the teen pregnancy rate in the United States has dropped. There have been many studies done to find out why Americans have more teen pregnancies than many other countries.
There are several questions that have been evaluated in surveys with statistics and research such as: Does teaching abstinence to our teens affect the pregnancy rate? Should American schools have more funding to educate our teenagers more about sex? If parents were more against teen pregnancy, would that affect teen pregnancy birth rates? Should schools continue to teach abstinence-only education or more safe sex education? Which is more effective? Does the media play a role in why there are so many teen pregnancies? I believe all of these questions play a factor in the teen pregnancy birth rate.
To begin with, I believe TV shows like “16 and Pregnant” only helps increase the teen pregnancy rate. Although I am pro-life, I also believe that if parents were more involved in their teen’s lives, rather than leaving it to the school system to educate their teens about sex and pregnancy, that there would be a significant lower teen pregnancy birth rate. Bush has good intentions when it came to his plight about teaching abstinence-only in our school systems; however I believe it is unrealistic that American teens will be abstinent. American teens are going to experiment sexually and school systems should teach safe sex along with abstinence. Studies have proven that both techniques are effective separately, but I think that both being taught together would be even more effective.
In the United States, our school systems do more education on sexually transmitted infections, than safe sex or abstinence education. The media has sex icons all over: TV, news, commercials, radio ads, billboards, computer websites, and now with modern technology one can access all of these things from their phone 24/7. I agree with the author of the CQ Researcher that safe sex needs to be taught and pushed nationwide, but if American schools teach our future generations in a way that is much more laid back about sexual exploration, then the teen pregnancy rate will not continue to decrease. Americans teen pregnancy rate is extremely higher than many other countries, especially European countries. According to the author of Sexuality Now, sexuality is taught in schools as a “valuable source of personal enrichment,” not as “prevention or problem-solving oriented.” The European statistics are drastically lower than the United States on teen pregnancy. The textbook focuses more on STI education than the CQ article, which focuses more on safe sex education and more parental involvement.

References
Carroll, J. (2013). Sexuality now: Embracing diversity. (4e ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Clemmitt, M. (2010, March 26). Teen pregnancy. CQ Researcher, 20, 265-288. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com.indianapolis.libproxy.ivytech.edu.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/cqresearcher/

References: Carroll, J. (2013). Sexuality now: Embracing diversity. (4e ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Clemmitt, M. (2010, March 26). Teen pregnancy. CQ Researcher, 20, 265-288. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com.indianapolis.libproxy.ivytech.edu.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/cqresearcher/