1. Sexuality Dating Sexual activity Problems in adolescence
Contraception
Pregnancy
Abortion
Parenthood
Sex education programs

2. Sexuality in Adolescence
Physical changes: Puberty
Increased sex drive (motivation)
Maturation of sex organs (reproduction)
Secondary sex characteristics
Cognitive changes:
Introspective reflection
Self-consciousness
Hypothetical thinking
Conjecture
Impulse control
Social changes
Significance of sexual relations
Curiosity becomes sexual motivation
Connection with adult roles

3. Developmental Challenges
Comfort with maturing body (changes)
Accepting feelings of sexual arousal
Engaging in voluntary sexual activities
Understanding and practicing safe sex

4. Developmental Patterns in Dating The American Experience
Most adolescent girls begin dating around age 12 or 13
Most adolescent boys begin dating around 13 or 14
By age 15 about 20% of adolescents say they have “gone with” someone
Dating before among American adolescents tends to follow a developmental sequence of four steps:
Adolescents in same-gender groups go to places where they hope to find other-gender groups
Adolescents take part in social gatherings arranged by adults, such as parties
Mixed-gender groups arrange to go to some particular event together, such as a movie
Adolescent couples begin to date as pairs in activities such as movies, dinners, concerts and so on

5. Impact of Dating
Serious dating before age 15 has a stunting effect on psychosocial development
Age-appropriate Dating
Recreation - Fun and enjoyment
Learning - Becoming more skilled at dating interactions
Status - Impressing others according to how often one dates and whom one dates
Companionship - Sharing pleasurable activities with another person
Intimacy - Establishing a close emotional relationship with another person
Adolescent girls who do not date at all show
retarded social development
excessive dependency on parents
feelings of insecurity
Page 359
Food for Thought: Some observers of the adolescent scene have noted that traditional one-on-one dating is far less common today than in past generations, and that relatively more interaction between males and females, even those who are romantically interested in each other, occurs in groups than in couples. Does this sound correct to you? If so, what implications does it have for the development of intimacy?

6. Scripts
Expectations for how males and females behave in romantic relationships
Shaped by relationships at home
Shaped by the mass media
Page 359
Food for Thought: Some observers of the adolescent scene have noted that traditional one-on-one dating is far less common today than in past generations, and that relatively more interaction between males and females, even those who are romantically interested in each other, occurs in groups than in couples. Does this sound correct to you? If so, what implications does it have for the development of intimacy?

7. Dating Scripts Proactive Script Reactive Script
Males tend to follow this type of script
Includes:
initiating the date
deciding where they will go
controlling the public domain (driving the car)
initiating sexual contact
Reactive Script
Females tend to follow this type of script
Focuses on:
Private domain (grooming & dress)
Responding to the male’s gestures in the public domain
Responding to his sexual initiatives

8. Dating and Romantic Relationships
High school dating no longer functions as mate selection, now recreational
Romantic relationships are very common, in the past 18 months
25% of 12-year-olds reported having one
50% of 15-year-olds reported having one
70% of 18-year-olds reported having one

9. Dating and Romantic Relationships
Dating and the Development of Intimacy
Dating can mean a variety of things
Group activities involving boys and girls
Casual dating in couples
Serious involvement in a steady relationship
Transitions into and out of romantic relationships can be difficult for adolescents
Breakups are the leading trigger for depression
Page 356

10. Sternberg’s Theory of Love
Forms of Love
Passion
Physical attraction and sexual desire
Intimacy
Closeness and emotional attachment
Commitment
Pledge to love over the long run
Liking No
Yes
Infatuation
Empty Love
Romantic Love
Companionate Love
Fatuous
Consummate Love

11. Applying Sternberg to Adolescence
In most adolescent love relationships, commitment is either missing or highly tentative
The absence of long term commitment in adolescence means that there are two principal types of adolescent love: infatuation and romantic love
Keep in Mind …..
In industrialized countries people are not likely to get married until they are in at least their mid- to late twenties
Under these circumstances it is understandable that adolescents’ love relationship would not involve commitment as much as passion or intimacy

12. Falling in Love Consensual validation
People like to find in others an agreement, or consensus, with their own characteristics
Finding this consensus supports, or validates, their own way of looking at the world
People of all ages tend to have romantic relationships with people who are similar to them in characteristics such as:
Intelligence
Social class
Ethnic background
Religious beliefs
Physical attractiveness

13. Sexual Activity Sexual Activity Males Females Masturbation
Majority of boys begin about age 13
90% by age 19
33% of females reported masturbating by age 13
60% to 75% by age 20
Necking and Petting
60% of 13 year olds had kissed at least once
20% reported touching a girl’s breast
By age 18, 77% reported penile touching
73% of 13 year olds had kissed at least once
35% reported having their breast touched
By age 18, 60% reported vaginal touching
Sexual Intercourse and Oral Sex
Before 1965, 25% of boys reported having intercourse
After 1965, 54% of boys reported having intercourse
Before 1965, 10% of girls reported having intercourse
After 1965, 52% of girls reported having intercourse

14. Ethnic Differences
The proportion of high school students in grades 9-12 who have had intercourse is:
Lowest for White adolescents (49%)
Somewhat higher for Latino adolescents (58%)
Highest for African American adolescents (73%)
Research has indicated that Asian Americans are considerably less likely to engage in sexual activity in adolescence compared with any other major American ethnic group

15. Cultural Beliefs and Adolescent Sexuality
Restrictive cultures:
Place strong prohibitions on adolescent sexual activity before marriage
Strict separation of boys and girls in early childhood through adolescence
Some countries will even include the threat of physical punishment and public shaming for premarital sex
Usually more restrictive for girls than boys
Semi-restrictive cultures:
Have prohibitions but they are not strongly enforced and are easily evaded
If pregnancy results from premarital sex, the adolescents are often forced to marry
Permissive cultures:
Encourage and expect adolescent sexuality
Sexual behavior is encouraged even in childhood and the sexuality of adolescence is simply a continuation of the sex play in childhood

16. Sexual Activity Sexual Intercourse During Adolescence
By the end of sophomore year of high school, more than 40% have had heterosexual vaginal intercourse
For many girls (~25%), the first sexual experience is not voluntary
By age 15, about 25% of U.S. adolescents have had heterosexual vaginal intercourse. Page 369

17. 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

18. 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
Sexual intercourse, once delayed until early adulthood, is clearly now a part of the typical adolescent’s experience, regardless of the young person’s ethnic or socioeconomic background. More than half of all teenagers have sexual intercourse before graduating from high school, and two-thirds have had intercourse before turning 19. Page 372

19. Trends in sexual attitudes
Premarital sexual activity acceptable
From 20% (1960) to 50% (1980)
Early adolescence sexual activity acceptable
1/3 sexually active by 15
15% by 13
Female sexual activity acceptable
5x more females sexually experienced in high school

20. 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
Page 372

21. 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
Social factors are more important in influencing girl’s involvement in sexual intercourse than boys’. Page 374

22. Parents and sexual activity
Authoritative parenting
Later sexual activity
Less risky sexual activity
Parent-adolescent conflict
Earlier sexual activity
High-risk sexual activity
STD transmission
Pregnancy

23. Parents and sexual activity
Parent-child communication
Most effective
for females (rather than males)
with mothers (rather than fathers)
if communication of values/attitudes
for preventing risky sexual behaviors

24. Parents and sexual activity
Household composition
Adolescents in midst of divorce
Increase in risky behaviors generally
Females in single-parent home
Why females?
Social influences (parent control)
Mother likely to date (sexual role models)
Seeking alternative sources of support
Genetic
Men leave family/Women have sex early

25. Parents and sexual activity
Sensitive to sexual activity levels (“normative standards”)
Peers
Siblings
perceived or actual
Sexual initiation
More experienced adolescents with less experienced adolescents
Epidemic model
(e.g. Kids)

26. Ecological model Individual-level factors Family-level factors
Intelligence
Drug use (risk behaviors)
Sexual abuse
Family-level factors
Single-parent homes
Poor parenting
Low SES
Extra-familial factors
Sexually active friends
Committed relationship
Low-quality neighborhood
Few positive school experiences

27. Peer Influences
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

28. Sexually Active Adolescents
Characteristics of non-virgins
Similar self-esteem as virgins
Similar overall life satisfaction as virgins
More likely to be early maturing
Tend to have lower levels of academic performance and academic aspirations
Adolescents who have sex early (15 years old or younger)
Early users of drugs and alcohol
More likely to be from single parent households
More likely to have grown up in poverty

29. Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Adolescents
It is during adolescence that most gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) people become fully aware of their sexual orientation
Coming out
beginning at an average age of 14 for gay males and a year or two later for lesbians
Involves a person’s recognizing his or her own sexual identity and then disclosing the truth to friends, family and others
Homophobia
Fear and hatred of homosexuals
Because of this phenomenon, coming to the realization of a GLB identity can be traumatic for many adolescents

30. 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
Page 386 (1/3 of males)
Page 387 (20% to 30% of young people)
Why is birth control not used by so many teens?
The barrier among younger adolescents, may be their discomfort discussing their sexual activity with parents or other adults whose help or consent may be necessary in order to obtain birth control. Also, many young people are insufficiently educated about sex, contraception, and pregnancy. Page 387

31. Contraceptive Use and Nonuse
Why do most sexually active adolescents fail to use contraception consistently?
Think about:
Infrequency of sex
Cognitive development
Personal fable
Embarrassment

32. Contraceptive Use and Nonuse
Two types of countries have low rates of teenage pregnancy:
Those that are permissive about adolescent sex
Those that adamantly forbid adolescent sex
Restrictive Countries
Japan
South Korea
Morocco
Adolescents are strongly discouraged from even dating
It is rare for boys and girls to spend time alone together
Permissive Countries
Denmark
Sweden
Netherlands
They have explicit safe sex campaigns.
Adolescents have easy access to contraception

33. 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
Nearly one-fourth of American young women experience pregnancy before the age of 18, and the number increases to about 45 percent before the age of 21. Page 392

34. 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
Nearly one-fourth of American young women experience pregnancy before the age of 18, and the number increases to about 45 percent before the age of 21. Page 392

35. Birth, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Notice how high the pregnancy rate is in the U.S.
Compare this to Canada where sexual activity rates are the same but the pregnancy rate is about half

36. Facts about the “Facts of Life”
About 30% of pregnancies to American adolescents end in abortion
14% of adolescents miscarry
Of the children who are born, only about 5% are put up for adoption
…. That means
about 50% of adolescents raise their own children (sometimes with the help of the father but most often with the help of the adolescent mother’s own mother)

37. Teen Birth Rates
In recent years, birth rates have become highest of all among Latina adolescents
Black teens are twice as likely as White teens to get pregnant

38. What about Mom? Twice as likely to drop out of school
Less likely to go to college or become employed
Less likely to get married
More likely to get divorced if they get married
Do they catch up? (a sample of 300 mothers)
Five years after given birth teenage mothers still lagged behind their peers in educational, occupational and economic progress
After 18 years
25% were still on welfare
25% had succeeded in making it into the middle class
A majority had eventually completed high school
33% had completed at least some college education

39. What about Dad?
Being a teenage dad is related to a variety of negative outcomes
More likely to become divorced
Lower level of education
Lower paying job
More prone to drug and alcohol use
More likely to violate the law
More feelings of anxiety and depression
Interesting Footnote:
Like adolescent mothers, the problems of adolescent
fathers often began prior to parenthood

40. What about Baby?
Children born to adolescent mothers face a higher likelihood of a variety of difficulties in life
Babies are more likely to be born premature
Lower birth weight
Premature and low birth weight are related to a variety of physical and intellectual problems
Greater likelihood of behavioral problems
School misbehaviour, delinquency and early sexual activity
It is important to note:
These problems are not just due to having an adolescent mother but also due to the fact that most adolescent mothers are not only young and unmarried but poor as well

41. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
By age 24, one in three sexually active Americans have contracted an STD
Two thirds of all STDs occur in people who are under 25 years old
Two important characteristics of STDs
Asymptomatic
People show no symptoms of the disease
They are especially likely to infect others because neither they nor others realize that they are infected
Latency Period
There may be years between the time people are infected and the time they being to show symptoms
During this time they may be infecting others without either themselves or their partners being aware of it

42. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Chlamydia
Most common STD
Highest rates among 15 to 19 year olds
Leading cause of female infertility
Gonorrhoea
Caused by bacteria that thrive in the moist mucous membranes of the body
Very easily passed along during sex
Females are at least twice as likely as males to become infected
Herpes Simplex
Caused by a virus
Has two variations: herpes simplex I and herpes simplex II
Highly infectious (75% of persons exposed to an infected partner will become infected)
There is no cure for herpes

43. Sexually transmitted diseases
HIV/AIDS
Strips the body of its ability to fend off infections
The body is highly vulnerable to a wide variety of illnesses and diseases
90% of cases of HIV in the U.s. result from intercourse between homosexual or bisexual partners
Outside the U.S. HIV/AIDS is spread mainly between heterosexual partners
Has a long latency period (tend to by asymptomatic up to 5 years)
AIDS is the leading cause of death worldwide among persons 25 to 44 years old
10 of every 11 new HIV infections worldwide come from Africa
The mortality rate for people who have AIDS remains extremely high

44. Sex Education
Americans agree that rates of premarital pregnancy and STDs in adolescence are serious problems that must be reduced
However there is vehement disagreement about what is the best solution
One side: comprehensive sexuality education
Other side: abstinence promotion
Result: Neither!

45. Sex Education 10 characteristics that make programs work
Focus narrowly on reducing one or more sexual behaviors
Base the program on theoretical approaches for other risky behaviours
Give a clear message about sexual activity and contraceptive use
Provide basic, accurate information about risks and methods
Include activities that teach how to deal with social pressures
Model and provide practice in negotiation and refusal skills
Use a variety of teaching methods
Incorporate behavioral goals specific to age, culture and sexual experience
Run the program over a sufficient period of time
Train teacher, youth workers and peer leaders who believe in the program