While the media bombards us with alarming statistics on the number of teens having sex, few reports shed light on what might encourage teens to become sexually active in the first place. Three studies provide an insight into sexually active adolescents: environment, partner age, and perceived family support can influence young people’s decisions to have sex.
In a study presented at a meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), researchers at the University of Kentucky attended 950 teens in 17 high schools in Kentucky and Ohio from grades 9 through 11. They found evidence that teens who have sex tend to think that their friends are also having intercourse, even if they are not.
"You are 2.5 times more likely to have sex by the 9th grade if you think your friends are having sex - whether or not they are having sex," says Katharine Atwood, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health in Kentucky.
Plus, teens tend to overestimate how many of their friends were sexually active. Only 33 percent of the children in the study had sex by the 9th grade, but 31 percent said most or all of their friends had had sex. So if we can convince them that teens who are having sex are less than they think, this could have a significant impact on their behavior.
Among young girls, the age of a partner is a risk factor for sexual activity.
"The younger the girl is in the age of early relationships, the more likely she is to have an older partner," says Harold Leitenberg, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Vermont.
Studimi i tij, i botuar në Arkivat e Sjelljes Seksuale, zbuloi se nga 4,201 vajza në klasat e 8-ta deri në të 12-ta, ato që humbën virgjërinë midis moshës 11 dhe 12 vjeç kishin tendencë të kishin partnerë pesë ose më shumë vjet më të mëdhenj.
Për vajzat që kryen marrëdhënie më vonë në adoleshencë, pabarazia në moshë e partnerit ishte shumë më e vogël. Fillimi i hershëm seksual u shoqërua gjithashtu me një numër problemesh të sjelljes.
"Duke injoruar moshën e partnerëve, sa më herët të ishte një vajzë kur kishte marrëdhënie seksuale, aq më i madh ishte rreziku i saj për tentim vetëvrasje, përdorim alkooli, abuzim me drogën, braktisje dhe shtatzëni," thotë Leitenberg.
The good news is that while teen sex may not be completely preventable, the health risks it involves can be reduced through communication within the family. More research presented at the APHA meeting showed that frequent parent-child discussions about sex and its risks can prevent teens from engaging in risky sexual behaviors.
Researchers at Emory University interviewed 522 sexually active African-American teens about the openness and support their families provided. Adolescents who thought their families were more supportive were less likely to have unprotected sex and thus were at a lower risk for pregnancy and illness.
Source: Psychology
