QUESTION 1: At what age do boys have their first erection? A) In Utero B) C) At Birth D) 2-5

QUESTION 2: What percent of children will engage in sexual activity before their 13 th birthday? A) 20% B) 50% C) 80%

QUESTION 3: What age group does children/adolescent start masturbating? A) 3-5 B) C) 7-10

QUESTION 4: What percentage of adolescents in the population realize they are attracted to members of their own sex? A) 15-20% B) Less Than 2 Percent C) 2-10%

FINAL QUESTION: What percentage of teen pregnancies are PLANNED? A) 22% B) 3% C) 15% D) 7%

Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence Dr. Nathan Matza H SC 425

Infancy & Sexual Response (0-2 Years) Infants can be observed discovering pleasure of genital stimulation soon after birth In utero, sonograms have shown that boys have erections Both male & female infants have been observed experiencing what seems to be an orgasm

Childhood Sexuality (3-11 Years)  Children become aware of sex and sexuality earlier than many people realize  Disguise their interest in sexuality rather than risk disapproval of elders  More than 50% of children will engage in sexual activity before their 13 th birthday

Curiosity & Sex Play  Children explore their bodies together by playing “mommy & daddy”, “doctor”, etc…  “The attitude of parents should be to socialize for privacy rather than to punish or forbid”  Childhood sex play does not create sexual orientation

Masturbation & Permission to Feel Pleasure  40% of women and 38% of men masturbate before puberty  “If it feels good, its bad” internalized at early age  Psychologists, physicians, etc. say its healthy  By age 4 or 5 children have learned that adults think it is nasty

Family Nudity  Many families opinions vary on whether or not nudity is acceptable  Bathing, swimming, sunbathing, dressing, or undressing  Styles of modesty can be compatible with the formation of sexually well- adjusted children

Expressing Affection  Families also vary in levels of physical contact in which they engage  In many cultures, it is expected for small children to sleep in their parents beds  All children need physical affection

Sexuality in Adolescence (Ages 12-19) Physical Puberty Psychosexual Development:  Adolescents learning about: Gender and Social Roles  Understanding their sexual feelings for others and their sexual orientation

Puberty  Females: 8-13  Males: 9-14  Gonadotropin Hormone secreted to gonads and is identical in males and females  In females, ovaries produce estrogen  In males, testes increase testosterone

Physical Puberty  Females:  Breast development  Growth spurt  Pubic and underarm hair  Vaginal mucous secretions  Menarche (Onset of menstruation) Males: -Increase size of testes -Growth of pubic, facial, & underarm hair -Voice deepens -Penis grows longer -Muscle mass growth

Precocious Puberty  Refers to the appearance of physical and hormonal signs of pubertal development at an earlier age than is considered typical.  Problems?  Girls who LOOK older than they are, are pressured to ACT older (Psychologically lose freedom to be a child)

Influences on Psychosexual Development Parental Influence- Parents and children that have open conversations about sex decrease risk factors Explore negative and positive consequences about sexual activity Parents fear “Too much info” will begin sexual activity Peer Influence- Adolescents receive most sex info from peers Pressure to carry out traditional gender roles Teens prone to sexual activity depending on friends Factors known to increase or decrease teens sexual behaviors

Influences on Psychosexual Development  Media:  70% of television has sexual content = teen willingness to experiment  Nudity, sexually provocative language, & sexual passion display are of interest to the public Religion: - Religious teens are less likely to be sexually active Factors known to increase or decrease teens sexual behaviors

 2-10% of adolescents realize they are attracted to members of their own sex  “Questioning”: individuals examining their sexual orientation  Experience heterosexual dating (sometimes includes intercourse) Gay, Lesbian, and Questioning Adolescents

 More understanding now than decades ago - no “reforming” -counseling & support services available  80% feel “very good” or “OK” about sexuality  5% hate or wish to change sexual orientation  2x likely to be threatened or injured w/ a weapon

 2x likely to have skipped school in past month  4x likely to have attempted suicide  Many experience Homophobia  Positive association between coming out to oneself & feeling of self worth

Adolescent Sexual Behavior  Masturbation -Normal activity -More common in men than women -More common in Whites than Blacks, Hispanics, or Asians -Students (18-24yrs.) 78% of males & 60% of females masturbate either alone of with a partners at least once a month

-Opportunity to learn about one’s sexual functioning and gives knowledge that can be shared w/ a sex partner - Adolescent boys no longer see it as ambiguous play; they know it as sexual. - Males begin between ages 13 and 15 (females begin later on) - Males masturbate 2x more than females

 First Intercourse (sexual debut) -“Sexual Revolution” in 1960s - Average age: 17 yrs. - Having “had sex” is debatable with various age-groups and gender. - Currently 28% of adolescents report not having had sexual contact compared to the 22% decades ago -Social/environmental factors are beneficial to understanding sexual behaviors

Teenage Pregnancy  After steady rise between 1990 & 2005, overall teen birth rate dropped 9%  About three in ten teens get pregnant by age 20  81% of births are unintended, but 59% are live birth  Economic hardships

Teen Pregnancy (Cont.) Contraception can fail or not be available or used Not all teen pregnancies are unintended: about 22% of them are PLANNED. Regardless of planned parenthood, teenage pregnancies cause more disasters than blessing (economic hardships, relationship differences, etc.) One-third of girls aged fifteen t0 nineteen, and one-half of girls under fifteen receive no parental care at all during their first trimester (healthychildren.org) Some cases get so severe that mother and father go through “disassociation”, which is a denial of reality Teenage Pregnancy varies between countries (NYTimes.com)

Teen Mothers  In 2006, 750,000 women younger than 20 became pregnant  Birth rates of African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian are higher than that of White, also more sexually active  Babies with young mothers can equal complications  Mothers require special needs (preconception and forward)

Teen Fathers  Incidents of fatherhood are lower than that of motherhood  Detrimental factors cause adolescent fatherhood  Can even have men reject marriage/fatherhood  Most men do want to take initiative to take care of their son/daughter

Sexuality Education  A lifelong process  Starting at birth we learn about love, touch, affection, and the anatomy of our bodies  As we grow, we learn from our families, peers, and society more about sexuality  Sex  Relationships  Dating  Different sexualities

Sex Education History  1981 – Federal government funded abstinence-only-until-marriage program under Reagan Administration  2006 – President Bush increased federal spending on abstinence- only programs in schools: $1.5 billion  Abstinence Only programs proven ineffective  2008 – twenty-five states rejected federal funding  2010 – Obama Administration launched teen pregnancy prevention program

Abstinence - Only  Teaching adolescents not to have sex until marriage  No beneficial impact on young people’s sexual activity  No effectiveness in reducing their number of sexual partners  No difference in rates of unprotected sex

Comprehensive Sex Education Programs  Address root issues that help teens make responsible decisions to keep them safe and healthy  Age-appropriate information  HIV/AIDS  STIs  Unintended Pregnancy  Relationships  Decision making  Abstinence  Contraception

Comprehensive Sexuality Programs  40% : delayed the initiation of intercourse  Reduced number of sexual partners  Increased condom or contraceptive use  30% reduced the frequency of sex  More than 60% reduced unprotected sex  Nearly 40% had positive effects on more than one of these behaviors  50% lower risk for teen pregnancy when compared to abstinence-only education

Assembly Bill 329  Signed by Governor Jerry Brown on October 1, 2015  Mandates that CA public schools must implement comprehensive sexual health education in grades 7-12 starting January 1 st, 2016  Mandatory course with updated curriculum  No more uneven instruction of ‘picking and choosing’  Abstinence AND Contraception  Will include information about sexual harassment, sexual assault, relationship abuse, sex trafficking, body image, sexual orientation, relationships, marriage, and affirmative consent