Sexuality
QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD
The development of a healthy adolescent sexuality involves body image, managing sexual arousal, and making wise choices about sexual behavior.
The National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey on sexual behavior indicates that while the prevalence of sexual intercourse increases with age, the use of condoms decreases. That is, younger teens are less likely to be sexually active, but when they are, they are more careful.
Teen birthrates and pregnancy rates has decreased, but the United States still has the highest rates in the industrialized world.
Sexually transmitted diseases remain a significant problem among sexually active youth.
TERMS
Body image
Safe sex
Sexual arousal
Sexual behavior
Teenage pregnancy
During adolescence, physical and social factors influence the development of a sexual identity that incorporates body image, feelings of sexual arousal, and choices regarding sexual behavior. Religion, marriage customs, and attitudes about the sexual roles of men and women set the cultural context in which adolescents come to terms with their sexual identities.
DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGES OF ADOLESCENT SEXUALITYAlthough it is normal to forge a sexual identity during the teen years, adolescent sexuality has often been viewed as a “problem waiting to happen.” Parents, healthcare providers, and educators warn teens about pregnancy, date rape, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Less attention has been paid to how a healthy sexual identity develops. Brooks-Gunn and Paikoff (1993) proposed that adolescent sexual well-being is an integration of physical, social, cognitive, and emotional factors. They identify four developmental challenges.
Puberty and Body Image
The first challenge occurs with the onset of puberty. Girls who develop early and boys who develop late are most unhappy with their bodies, and they tend to feel less attractive to the opposite sex. Satisfaction with body image is also influenced by cultural norms. American girls are particularly self-conscious about their weight. Boys want to be athletic and muscular.
Managing Sexual Arousal
The second challenge is the management of sexual arousal. It is normal to be flooded with desire, yet teens receive mixed messages about how to deal with their feelings. Boys are most readily aroused by visual stimuli—hence their interest in sexually explicit magazines. Sexual arousal in girls, however, is not as openly acknowledged—and may also be more complex. While girls are attracted to handsome boys, being the object of male desire also makes girls feel sexy. Overt displays of sexuality in girls, and discussion of their desires, remain taboo.
Sexual Behavior
The third developmental challenge involves sexual behavior. Heterosexual behavior refers to sexual interactions with the opposite sex, which range from hand holding to intercourse. Homosexuality refers to a sexual preference for members of one’s own sex. Adolescents need to learn how to negotiate sexual situations so that they do not engage in risky sexual behaviors.
Safe Sex
The fourth challenge is to avoid the unnecessary risks of pregnancy and STDs by practicing safe sex or by abstaining from intercourse (Table 57-1 and Table 57-2) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005).
Table 57-1 Contraceptive Use | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SEXUAL BEHAVIORExpectations regarding adolescent “romantic” relationships have changed over the past 100 years. In many cultures, the onset of puberty was traditionally accompanied by mating rituals, and girls were expected to be virgins when they married, often in their teens. Today, especially in industrialized countries, a decade or more separates the onset of puberty and marriage. There increasingly is a mismatch between adolescents’ sexual desires, their opportunities for sexual behavior,
and their psychological and economic ability to deal with these desires and possible consequences. American culture has not helped them. On the one hand, teenagers are bombarded by messages in movies, music, and advertisements that promote casual sex without restraint; on the other hand, there is open discussion about HIV/AIDS and condoms.
and their psychological and economic ability to deal with these desires and possible consequences. American culture has not helped them. On the one hand, teenagers are bombarded by messages in movies, music, and advertisements that promote casual sex without restraint; on the other hand, there is open discussion about HIV/AIDS and condoms.
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