Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence Chapter 6

Relationships in Infancy/Early Childhood Attachment Theory Attachment “styles” Internal Working Models

Sexuality in Infancy/Childhood Early capacities for sexual response Boys have erections in utero Biological basis of sexual response

Childhood Sexuality Curiosity/sex play are normal in early childhood Parental attitudes/responses shape sexual attitudes: guilt and shame

Childhood Sexuality and Childhood Sexual Abuse Correlation between the frequency of a child’s sexual behaviors and the occurrence of sexual abuse

Abnormal Sexual Behavior in Childhood Often correlates to childhood sexual abuse Sexual behavior is directed at adults Behavior is more similar to adult sexual expression Use of coercion, bribery, force, or manipulation

Puberty and Sex Drive Early sexual arousal is linked to sex drive, desire for casual sex, and higher numbers of sexual partners Early pubertal development is also linked to early initiation of sexual activity

Factors Influencing Adolescent Sexuality Parental involvement/discussion Youth who discuss sex with their parents are less likely to engage in risky behavior (O’Donnell, 2005) Youth who discuss sex with their parents are more likely to take precautions and have fewer sexual partners (Camp, 2005)

Peer Influences Peers often share misinformation about sexuality Youth tend to overestimate the number of peers engaging in sex Role of peer pressure *Peer pressure article

Media Media: one of the primary sources for sexual information

Age of First Intercourse Changes after the sexual revolution of the 1960s Sex before marriage and at a younger age became more prevalent

First Intercourse Changes again during the turn of the 21 st century Declines in the number of youth having sex Increase in condom use and use of contraceptives

Adolescents and Sex More permissive attitudes toward sex Pregnancy and sexual risk taking continues to be a problem, though teen pregnancy has declined in the US

Sexual behavior- developmental concerns 13% of teen girls and 6% of teen boys felt uncomfortable/did not want their first sexual experience to happen when it did Emotional maturity and developmental level

Factors influencing teenage sexuality Alcohol use Having a boyfriend/girlfriend Poor parental monitoring/permissive parental attitudes Low SES

Teen Pregnancy Decrease in teen pregnancy and abortion US- teen birth rate is the highest in the developed world 22% of teen pregnancies are planned

Teen Pregnancy Associated with poverty/economic hardship Babies born to teen moms have twice the risk for low birth weight 1/3 of teen moms receive inadequate prenatal care

Teenage Fatherhood Risk Factors: Race/SES Permissive attitudes toward teen fatherhood Poor school achievement/delinquency

Article Discussion Perspectives on teen sexuality

Gay, Lesbian, and “Questioning”Adolescents Many GLBT teens report feeling “different” in early childhood Most have heterosexual relations, but feel ambivalent about the experience

Gay, Lesbian, and “Questioning” Adolescents Society continues to construct sexual minorities as problematic Parents/teachers contribute to homophobia by ignoring peer harassment (Finz, 2000)

Gay, Lesbian, and “Questioning” Adolescents GLBT teens have a high incidence of depression, substance abuse, and attempted suicide (Harrison, 2003) The question of having a gay identity

Current Research on GLBT Youth GLBT youth- “at risk”: Victimization School challenges Substance use and abuse Suicidal thoughts/attempts

GLBT youth “sexual minority” youth Adolescent development- increased stress due to societal marginalization (Russell, 2002) A “culturally stigmatized” identity

GLBT youth Central contexts to development (Russell, 2002 ): Family Faith communities School

GLBT youth Family: “coming out” vs. remaining silent: developmental concerns

GLBT youth Faith communities: Many reinforce cultural negativity about sexual minorities

GLBT youth School (Russell, 2002; Jerome, 2001): GLBT youth: Higher drop-out risk Harassment/discrimination Many fear for their safety Schools remain silent

GLBT youth: Resilience Resilience: Capacity to thrive, overcome, and actualize our potential

GLBT youth: Resilience Creating “spaces” to explore sexual identity Internet communities Gay-Straight Alliances

Jerome article “Realities of Growing up Gay” Youth narratives documenting their experiences Discrimination/harassment in school Identity conflicts

Savin-Williams “The New Gay Teen” Sexual minority youth: rejection of “gay” as an identity

Motives for rejecting gay identities Typical Assumptions: Safety Internalized homophobia

Motivations Fluidity of sexual identity Rejection of “gay” as it is socially/culturally/politically constructed

Implications for Research Research does not sufficiently address these adolescents Differences between gay and “new gay” teens?

Implications for Research Support for conceptualizations of the “continuum” of orientation Calls into question research on psychological development of gay youth