Adolescent Psychology Chapter 6: Sexuality Part 2 - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Adolescent Psychology

Chapter 6: Sexuality Part 2Slide2

Adolescent pregnancy

Sexually transmitted infections

Forcible sexual behavior Sexual harassment

Sexual Problems in AdolescenceSlide3

Once virtually invisible & unmentionable

Shuttled off to homes for unwed mothers where relinquishment of the baby for adoption was their only option

Subjected to unsafe & illegal abortions

Yesterday’s secret has become today’s dilemma.

US: Over 200,000 females have a child before 18

Adolescent Pregnancy:

Past to PresentSlide4

U.S. continues to have one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy & childbearing in the developed world, despite a considerable decline in the 1990s

U.S. rates are similar to those of Russia & several E. European countries: Bulgaria

2X those of Canada & Great Britain4X the rates in France, Sweden, Germany, & Japan.

Cross-cultural ComparisonsSlide5

In Europe & Canada, childbearing is regarded as an adult activity.

Unclear messages about sexuality in the U.S.

Access to family planning services?Why are U.S. Rates So High?Slide6

In 2004, births to adolescent girls fell to a record low (Child Trends, 2006).

The greatest drop in the U.S. adolescent pregnancy rate in recent years has been for 15- to 17-year-old African American girls.

Fear of STDsSchool/community health classes

Greater hope for future

Decreasing U.S. Rates…Slide7

Issue of great debate…

Easier to obtain in some countries (Scandinavian countries), than in U.S.

In U.S. abortion & adolescent sexual activity are more stigmatized

In U.S., 19% of abortions are performed on 15- to 19-year-old girls

<1 % are carried out with those less than 15 years of age (2003)

Adolescent Pregnancy & AbortionSlide8

Legislation mandating parental consent is justified by several assumptions:

High risk of harm from abortion

Adolescents’ inability to make an adequately informed decision Benefits of parental involvement Regardless of research outcomes, pro-life & pro-choice advocates are convinced of the rightness of their positions.

This debate is founded in religious beliefs, political convictions, & morality, not science or research findings.

This conflict has no easy solutions

Abortion: Legal Consent & DebateSlide9

Health risks for both baby & the mother

Infants more likely to have low birth weights

A prominent factor in infant mortality—as well as neurological problems & childhood illness Adolescent mothers often drop out of schoolCan you think of other consequences?

Consequences of Adolescent PregnancySlide10

Often see self as omnipotent & indestructible; believe that bad things can’t or won’t happen to them (

adolescent egocentrism

)Informing adolescents isn’t enoughSelf-acceptance regarding their sexuality seems to predict contraceptive use…so how do we promote sexual self-acceptance?

Prevention is most often based on the belief that adolescents have the cognitive ability to approach problem solving in a planned, organized, & analytical manner

Do adolescents have this ability?

Cognitive Factors in Adolescent PregnancySlide11

Some adolescents 16+ have these capacities, but this doesn’t mean they use them, especially in emotionally charged situations, such as when they are sexually aroused or are being pressured by a partner

Young Adolescents (10 - 15) experience sex in a depersonalized way; filled with anxiety & denial.

Middle adolescents (15 - 17) often romanticize sexuality.

Late adolescents (18 - 19) more realistic & future-oriented about sexual experiences, as they are about careers & marriage.

Cognitive Factors…Adolescent PregnancySlide12

Children of adolescent parents may face problems even before they are born.

Adolescent mothers are less competent at child rearing.

Adolescent mothers have less realistic expectations for their infants’ development than do older mothers

Children born to adolescent mothers may not perform as well on intelligence tests & may have more behavioral problems than children born to mothers in their twenties

(Silver, 1988). Adolescents As ParentsSlide13

The majority of adolescent fathers are not involved

Adolescent fathers have lower incomes, less education, & more children than do men who delay having children until their 20s.

Many young fathers have little idea of what a father is supposed to do. Adolescents As ParentsSlide14

Sex education & family planning

Access to contraceptive methods

The life options approach – motivates to reduce pregnancy riskBroad community involvement & support (Duckett, 1997)

Baby Think it Over Doll

Teen Outreach Program (TOP) (Dryfoos & Barkin, 2006).

Girls, Inc.

(Roth & others, 1998).

Growing Together

Will Power/Won’t Power

Taking Care of Business

Health Bridge

Abstinence

Reducing Adolescent PregnancySlide15

Contracted primarily through sexual contact

Not limited to vaginal intercourse; includes oral-genital & anal-genital contact

Increasing health problem3 STIs caused by viruses:AIDS, genital herpes, & genital warts 3 STIs caused by bacterial infections:

gonorrhea, syphilis, & Chlamydia.

Sexually Transmitted InfectionSlide16

Understanding AIDsSlide17

Forcible Sexual Behavior & Sexual Harassment

Rape

Date, or Acquaintance RapeSexual HarassmentSexual comments, jokes, gestures, & looks Sexist remarks & covert physical contactSexual rumors Blatant propositions & sexual assaults

Quid Pro Quo…Hostile EnvironmentForcible Sexual BehaviorSlide18

Sexual Literacy

Sexual information is abundant

Information or misinformation?Example: Most adolescents do NOT know at what stage of the menstrual cycle females are most likely to get pregnantSources of Sex InformationAdolescents can get information about sex from many sources

parents, siblings, schools, peers

magazines, television, & the Internet. Sexual Literacy & Sex EducationSlide19

A special concern is the

ACCURACY

of sexual information (adolescents, parents, teachers…)Many parents feel uncomfortable talking about sex Many adolescents feel uncomfortable talking about sex

Adolescents are far more likely to talk about sex with mothers than with fathers

(Kirkman, Rosenthal, & Feldman, 2002). Female adolescents use protection more when they can communicate about sex with their parents.

Sex Education: Sources of InfoSlide20

93% of Americans support teaching of sex

ed

in H.S.84% support its teaching in middle/junior high schools (SIECUS, 1999). Sex education in U.S. schools todayIncreasingly focused on abstinence less likely to present students with comprehensive teaching

birth control, abortion, & sexual orientation

(Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2003a; Santelli & others, 2006).

Sex Education in SchoolsSlide21

Sex Information & Education Council of the United States

(SIECUS)

www.siecus.org This organization serves as an information clearinghouse about sex education. The group’s objective is to promote the concept of human sexuality as an integration of physical, intellectual, emotional, & social dimensionsThe New Gay Teenager (2006) Richard Savin

-Williams Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Leading researcher on adolescent gay males & lesbians, Savin-Williams examines many aspects of their development & relationshipsNational Sexually Transmitted Diseases Hotline (800–227–8922)

This hotline provides information about a wide variety of sexually transmitted infections

Alan

Guttmacher

Institute

www.guttmacher.org

The Alan

Guttmacher

Institute is a resource for information about adolescent sexuality. The Institute publishes a well-respected journal,

Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health

(renamed in 2003, formerly

Family Planning Perspectives

), which includes articles on many dimensions of sexuality, such as adolescent pregnancy, statistics on sexual behavior and attitudes, and sexually transmitted infections

AIDS Hotline (National AIDS Information Clearinghouse)

800–342–AIDS 800–344–SIDA (Spanish) 800–AIDS–TTY (Deaf)

The people answering the hotline will respond to any questions children, youth, or adults have about HIV infection or AIDS. Pamphlets and other materials on AIDS are available.

Resources Slide22

The rates among adolescents of premarital pregnancy and of sexually transmitted diseases are unacceptably high. Use the knowledge you gained from the text and from class lectures and/or discussions to develop a sex education program for adolescents. Consider the following questions before putting your thoughts down on paper.

What should be the goals of your program (e.g., accurate factual understanding, instilling of values)?

Should students and/or parents be surveyed concerning the desired content of the program?

At what grade should the program start? What ages will it span? At what grade will it end?

How will you respond to parental concerns about sex education leading to promiscuity?What criterion will be used to measure the success of the program?

What methods should be used to present the program content?

What is the program content?

Activity: Sex Education ProgramSlide23

Developed

countries with liberal sexual attitudes, accessible contraceptive services for teens, and formal sex education programs have lower teenage pregnancy

rates.Teens are usually sexually active for a number of months before seeking information about contraceptive methods.Three-fourths of sexually transmitted diseases occur in people 19 years old and

younger.

Babies born to adolescent mothers have twice the mortality rate of babies born to mothers in any other age group.

About

55 percent of births among teenagers are out of

wedlock.

One-tenth

of all teenage females become pregnant each

year.

About

15 percent of all live births in this country are to teenage

mothers.

One-third

of all pregnancies among adolescents are

aborted.

Only

half of sexually active teens use contraception

regularly.

Eighty-five

percent of pregnancies among 15- to 19-year-old girls were

unintentional.

Sexually

active girls who use drugs are more likely to get

pregnant.

One-half

of all first-time premarital pregnancies occur in the first six months of sexual

activity.

A

large percentage of adolescents do not realize that venereal diseases come from sexual

activity.

Many

adolescents feel that if you do not want to get pregnant, you will not.

Consider these facts…