Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 1 Adolescence 8th edition By Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D. Chapter Eleven: Sexuality Insert Textbook Photo

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 Chapter 11 Overview  Why is sexuality an adolescent issue?  How sexually permissive is contemporary society?  What is the developmental sequence of engaging in sexual activity during adolescence?  What are the characteristics of sexually active adolescents?  Teenage pregnancy and childbearing during adolescence

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Why Is Sexuality an Adolescent Issue?  After puberty, there are changes in the nature and meaning of sexual behavior  Sexual activity can now lead to pregnancy  Adolescent sexuality is also influenced by  Emerging cognitive capabilities (introspection and reflection about sexual behavior)  Concerns about new social roles (new meaning given to sexual behavior like “playing doctor”)

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 4 How Sexually Permissive Is Contemporary Society?  Sexually Restrictive Societies  Discontinuous transition  Pressure to refrain from sexual activity until they have undergone a formal rite of passage or have married  Many pursue sex in secrecy because of this pressure  Sometimes, males and females are separated throughout childhood and adolescence

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 5 How Sexually Permissive Is Contemporary Society?  Semi-Restrictive Societies  Sexual activity among adolescents frowned on but prohibitions are not consistently enforced  Premarital promiscuity is common  Parents don’t object as long as love affairs are kept secret  Premarital pregnancy is objectionable and may result in adolescents’ being forced to marry

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 How Sexually Permissive Is Contemporary Society?  Permissive Societies  Highly continuous transition into sexual activity, begins in childhood  Children openly masturbate  Imitate adult intercourse  Seeking privacy to engage in sex play is approved of by adults

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 7 Sexual Activity During Adolescence  Adolescents likely to be serial monogamists  Having a series of sexual partners over time, but remaining monogamous within each relationship  Stages of Sexual Activity  Autoerotic behavior – sexual behavior that is experienced alone (e.g., having erotic fantasies, masturbation, nocturnal orgasms)  By high school, transition to sexual activity involving another person  Although most adolescents follow predictable pattern of sexual stages, African Americans may actually skip some of the steps  May help explain ethnicity differences in rates of teenage pregnancies

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 Sexual Activity During Adolescence  Sexual Intercourse During Adolescence  By the end of sophomore year of high school, more than 40% have had heterosexual vaginal intercourse  For many girls (~30%), the first sexual experience is not voluntary

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 Ethnic Differences in Age of Sexual Initiation For Males Average Age of First Intercourse African-American Males15 years Hispanic-American and White Males 16.5 years Asian-American Males18 years

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 The Timing of Sexual Initiation  Adolescents are more likely to lose their virginity during certain times of the year  June and December are peak months  May, June, July common regardless of romantic involvement (prom, graduation)  Holiday season in December is peak time for serious relationships

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 11 Changes in Adolescent Sexual Activity Over Time  The percentage of sexually active adolescents increased during 1970s and 80s, decreased slightly from 1995 to 2001  One-third of adolescents have early sexual intercourse (before ninth grade)  Greatest increase in prevalence of premarital intercourse has been among females

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 Sexually Active Adolescents  Psychological/Social Characteristics of Sexually Active Adolescents  Sexual activity during adolescence (age 16 or later)  Is not associated with psychological disturbance  Levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction are similar to other adolescents’  However, early sexual activity (before age 16) has negative correlates like:  Experimentation with drugs and alcohol  Lower levels of religious involvement  Higher tolerance of deviant behavior  Lower interest in academic achievement  Higher orientation toward independence

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 13 What Influences Sexual Activity?  Hormones are especially important for boys  Testosterone surge sparks initial interest in sex for boys and girls (girls are also influenced by estrogens)  Boys who are more popular with girls and mature earlier tend to initiate sex earlier than unpopular boys  Biological factors have a very strong influence on boys’ sexual behavior  Context is especially important for girls  The most important predictor of girls’ involvement in sexual intercourse is whether their friends are doing it or have sexually permissive attitudes

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 14 Parental Influences on Sexual Activity  Authoritative parenting is associated with adolescents who are  Less likely to become sexually active at an early age  Less likely to engage in risky sexual activity  Parent-adolescent communication about sex  Stops them from engaging in risky sexual behaviors, but does little to prevent them from being sexually active in general

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 15 Peer Influences on Sexual Behavior  Having sexually active peers establishes a normative standard that having sex is okay  Peers also can communicate directly about sex, with friends or with potential partners  Risk factors for sexual activity are cumulative

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 16 What Does Sex Mean to Boys and Girls?  Boys are…  More likely to keep matters of sex and intimacy separate  More likely to have experienced orgasm through masturbation  More likely to interpret intercourse in terms of recreation than intimacy  Girls are…  More likely to integrate sexual activity into an existing capacity for intimacy and emotional involvement  More likely to take the view that sex is combined with romance, love, friendship, and intimacy  More likely to feel conflicted afterward because of societal pressures and worries about pregnancy

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 17 Homosexuality in Adolescence  About 4% of adolescents identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (~ 8% in adulthood)  Confusion is common about  Sexual orientation – extent to which an individual is oriented toward heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual activity  Sex-role behavior – extent to which an individual behaves in traditionally masculine or feminine ways  Gender identity – which gender an individual believes he/she is

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 18 Sexual Harassment, Rape, and Sexual Abuse  Date Rape – being forced to have sex by a date  Sexual harassment is widespread in American public schools  Adolescents are abused and neglected at higher rates than children  Victims are disproportionately female and poor

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 19 Contraceptive Use Among Sexually Active Adolescents  Many adolescents fail to use contraception regularly  Although rates have improved since 1970s, ~40% of high school students did not use a condom the most recent time they had sex  Contraception may not be readily available for all adolescents

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 20 When Is the Risk of Pregnancy Greatest?  Many adolescents report using the withdrawal or rhythm methods of contraception, two of the least effective ways to prevent pregnancy

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 21 AIDS and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases  STDs can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites that are transmitted through sexual contact  Bacteria – Gonorrhea and Chlamydia  Virus – Herpes and Human Papilloma Virus  Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and interferes with the body’s immune system  Condoms and education are best prevention tools  Programs must focus on the benefits of condom use rather than costs of not using them  Knowledge of risks alone is not sufficient to keep adolescents from risky behaviors

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 22 Teenage Pregnancy and Childbearing  Nearly one-third of American women become pregnant by age 20  Not all pregnancies result in childbirth (~30% are aborted, ~15% miscarry)  5% American teen births result in adoptions  America’s teen birth rate is higher than all other industrialized countries

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 23 What Causes Teen Pregnancy?  The most important difference between teens who become pregnant and those who do not is contraceptive use  85% of teen pregnancies are unintended, but those who are less troubled by the prospect of having a baby at a young age are more likely to use contraceptives ineffectively  Ambitious, well-educated, middle- to upper- class women who live in wealthier areas are more likely to terminate an unwanted pregnancy

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 24 Teen Pregnancy: The Role of The Father  Teen fathers are likely  To have problems with self- esteem, school, work, aggression, drugs, and alcohol  To have fathered a child previously  To experience adverse effects on mental health and educational development (more likely among white and Hispanic men than African-American men)  To receive little support or help in becoming responsible parents

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 25 Consequences for Children of Teen Mothers  Environment of single parenthood and poverty are more harmful than mother’s relative youth for child development  However, adolescent mothers may perceive their babies as being more difficult and have problems interacting with them  Mothers who were more intelligent and better adjusted before the birth of their infant have greater parenting skills later

Copyright © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 26 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs  Abstinence-only programs were emphasized in 1990s at expense of other sex education  A combination of school-based sex ed and community-based clinics seems to be most promising in preventing teen pregnancies  Must motivate teens to use the available resources