Chapter 12

Sexuality During Childhood and

Adolescence
 Infant sexuality
• Capacity for sexual response present from birth
• Infants engage in self-pleasuring activity
– Pelvic thrusting, rubbing genital area against an object (doll,
pillow, etc.)
• In some cases, infants have been observed to experience
what appears to be orgasm
• Unable to differentiate sexual from sensual pleasure
– Many natural everyday activities, breast-feeding, bathing,
diapering, involve pleasurable tactile sensation
 Childhood sexuality
• Normative behavior not well studied
– Research limited by political squeamishness over what “might
be interpreted as exploiting children or introducing sexual
ideas to them”
– Difficult to get funding or approval for research on childhood
sexuality
– Much of what we know about childhood sexuality relies on
recollections of adults about their childhoods
• Sexual behavior is normal part of development
– Important to remember that adults tend to interpret childhood
experiences in terms of the meanings that adults attached to
them--to the child, it’s not “masturbation w/the goal of
climax;” it’s just pleasurable self-touching
 Childhood sexuality (cont.)
• Masturbation (rhythmic genital manipulation; not just rubbing)
starts at 2-3 years
– Important for parents to express acceptance and reinforce idea
of privacy that most kids already understand
• Sex play starts 4-7 years
– Curiosity about sexual parts, sexual behaviors
• 5-7 year olds begin to enact marriage
(heterosexual)scripts
– Ex: playing house
 Childhood sexuality (cont.)
• Emergence of homosociality 8-9 years
– boys and girls play separately, though may have romantic interest
in other sex
– Interest in reproduction and sexuality is high
• Interest in bodily changes starts at 10-11
– May be self-conscious about their bodies
– Separation from other sex is still common
– Children of this age often strongly protest suggestions of romantic
interest in other sex
– Sex play w/children of same sex is common-- may be a transition
to heterosexual orientation or may reflect homosexual or bisexual
orientation
• Important for parents to avoid responding negatively or labeling the activity
according to adult labels of sexual orientation
 12-A Discussion question:
Assume that you are a parent of a 7-year-old and that
one day you find your child playing doctor with a
playmate of the same age of the other sex. Both have
lowered their pants, and they seem to be involved in
visually exploring each other’s bodies. How would
you respond? Would you react differently according
to the sex of your child? What about if the other
child was of the same sex as your child?
 Physical Changes of Adolescence
• Puberty: period of rapid physical changes in
early adolescence during which the reproductive
organs mature
– onset between 8 to 14 years; 2 years earlier in girls
– triggered by release of pituitary gland hormones
called gonadotropins
• Chemically identical in males and females
• In males, cause testes to increase testosterone production
• In females, cause ovaries to increase estrogen levels
 Physical changes during puberty
• Primary sex characteristics: physical
characteristics in genital development that indicate
sexual maturity
– females:
• thicker vaginal walls
• larger uterus
• enlarged labia
• vaginal secretions
• menarche around age 12 to 13; age has fallen
– males:
• larger prostate, penis, seminal vesicles, and testes
• 1st ejaculation around 13
Changes in age of puberty onset in girls
• From 1840 to 1960, the average age of menarche fell sharply
from 17 to 13 years.
– Thought to be due to improved health and nutrition
• Over the past 40 years, average age of menarche has declined
slightly and is now at 12.3 years.
• Ethnic differences exist in age at menarche (see Table)
• Average age of onset of breast development was 11.5 years in
1970; by 1997, age was < 10 for Caucasian girls and <9 for
African-American girls
Table 12.2:
Age at menarche
 Physical changes during puberty
• Secondary sex characteristics physical
characteristics other than genital development that indicate
sexual maturity
– both sexes:
• pubic hair,
• growth spurt (earlier in girls)
• genitals enlarge
• axillary oil-secretion
– females: - males
• breast buds • voice deepens
• voice changes • facial hair
Physical changes during puberty
secondary

primary
Sexual behavior during adolescence
• The sexual double standard
– Different standards of sexual permissiveness for
women and men--more restrictive standards are applied
to women
– Recent evidence suggests that double standard exists
but may be diminishing
– Males
• focus of sexuality = conquest
• peers reinforce aggressive & independent behaviors
– females
• focus of sexuality = relationship
• dilemma: need to appear sexy to attract males, but does not
want to appear “easy”
Sexual behavior during adolescence
• Masturbation
– increase in frequency & numbers
• By the end of adolescence, almost all males, and ~3/4 of females have
masturbated
– safe sexual release
– learn about self
• Noncoital sexual expression
– Noncoital sex: physical contact excluding coitus (i.e. kissing,
touching, and manual or oral-genital stimulation)
– oral-genital activity has increased
– how far to go often an issue
– learning about sexual intimacy
– technically can “stay a virgin”
 Sexual behavior during adolescence
• Ongoing sexual relationships
– more common at this age than in past
– narrowing of gender gap: females less likely to "save themselves" for
marriage; males more likely to want an affectionate relationship

• Sexual intercourse
– incidence of teen coitus: strong
upward trend from 1950s through the
1970s Upward trend has leveled
off, & even decreased
in last two decades
 Sexual behavior during adolescence
• From 1991-2005, overall % of h.s. students in U.S. who had ever had
intercourse declined somewhat for all grade levels
• Condom use among sexually active h.s. students  somewhat

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SCAN IN FIG. 12.4, p.333

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12
Sexual behavior during adolescence

Reasons for having first intercourse

Factors that predispose teenagers to:
• Early intercourse
– Low SES/poverty
– Family conflict/marital
disruption/single-parent or
reconstituted family
– Low parent education and
supervision
– Substance abuse
– Low self-esteem, hopelessness
– Poor academic performance
– Exposure to TV w/high sexual
content
– Previous sexual abuse
• Later intercourse
– Higher SES
– Religious beliefs
– Spiritual interconnectedness
w/friends
– Good relationship with parents,
and perception of parental
disapproval of teen intercourse
– good school performance
– Late onset of puberty
 American ethnic diversity in
adolescent sexual experiences
• African American teens are more likely to engage in
coitus than either white or Latino American teenagers
• Ethnic differences in adolescent sexual experiences may
be related more to socioeconomic status than to
race/ethnicity
– African American adolescents raised in more affluent homes
are more likely to abstain from intercourse than their poorer
counterparts
 12-B Discussion question:
Assume that you are a parent of a
teenager who asks, “How do I know
when I should have sex?” What would
you answer, and why?
Homosexual identity & experiences
during adolescence
• Same-sex sexual contact between peers common
– May reflect experimentation or may be an expression of a lifelong sexual
orientation
• Some gays & lesbians do begin to define their homosexuality as
teens
– frequently experience adverse societal reactions
• Double rebuke--b/c they are sexually active in the 1st place and b/c
of their sexual orientation
• Reconciling orientation can be difficult; are often rejected by peers
and family
– Adolescents who are thought to be homosexual are sometimes bullied,
harassed, or physically assaulted
– Disproportionately high rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide
attempts among gay teens
 Homosexual identity & experiences
during adolescence
• Support for teens with same-sex orientation is
increasing
• Gay-Straight Alliances now exist on many high
school and college campuses
– Clubs composed of gay and straight people who
exchange information and support, work to
change anti-homosexual attitudes in their schools
 Effect of AIDS on teen sexual
behavior
• Largest % of AIDS cases in US are people in their 20s
and 30s who were infected w/HIV in their teens and
20s.
– People < age 25 account for 50% of new HIV infxns.
• Most teens know the basic facts about AIDS and other
STDs, but falsely believe that they are not at risk
– Don’t change their behavior to protect against HIV, other
STIs
• condoms viewed more as BC than as STI protection
– No protection used for anal sex, oral sex
 Adolescent Pregnancy
• The U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the Western
industrialized world--roughly 4x higher than in several W. European nations,
even though the levels of teen sexual activity in these countries are ~ the same
– 1 in 5 sexually active teens becomes pregnant each year
• Of these: 51% result in live births, 35% in induced abortion, and 14% in
miscarriage or stillbirth
– impacts teen mother's and baby’s physical health
• More complications in pregnancy in teen moms
• Pregnant teens are very unlikely to use protection against STDs
– impacts SES and education
• Teen moms often drop out of school, many do not return
• Future employment options limited, often dep. on social services
– impacts quality of parenting
• Children of teen moms are more likely to have physical, cognitive, and
emotional problems; problems in school, etc.
 Contraceptive use among teens
• Teens less likely to use BC consistently or correctly;
Why?
– Lack of adequate knowledge about BC options
– Abstinence-only sex education programs in schools
• Teach teens that abstinence is the only option w/o providing any
positive information on effective contraceptive methods
– Planning ahead implies loose morals?
– Fear of pelvic exam; embarrassment about seeking BC
– Confidentiality concerns
– Less stable relationships
– Difficulty communicating with partner
– Positive note: contraceptive use among teens is higher today
than it was 10 - 20 years ago.
 Factors correlated w/teens who are:
• More likely to use BC
– In stable relationship; good
communication w/partner
– Able to communicate with
parent about BC
– Feel competent and have
good self-esteem
– Have families which stress
personal responsibility
– Have access to BC info
– Good performance in school
and have well-educated
parents
• Less likely to use BC
– Not in stable relationship;
sporadic intercourse
– Teen women involved
w/older (3+ yr) partner
– Teens who have sex at
earlier ages
– When intercourse occurs
after alcohol consumptn.
– Lack of sexual confidence
& assertiveness (esp. in
teen women)
Strategies to reduce teen pregnancy
• Free, confidential contraceptive services
– Family planning clinics, school-based health clinics
• Compulsory national sex-education
– Should occur before most teens are sexually active
– Safe expression of teen sexuality should be treated as a health issue
rather than a political or religious issue
• Focus on shared responsibility for BC
– Teen males often consider BC to be female’s responsibility
– Survey: teens that believe that responsibility for BC should be
shared are more likely to have used BC effectively
• Relax governmental restrictions
– Research shows that making condoms available in middle schools
and high schools increased condom use by sexually active teens, but
did not contribute to any increase in teen sexual activity
 Sex education: parents
• Most kids begin to ask how babies are made by ~4
– Important not to blunt their curiosity (i.e. “You’re too young to
learn about such things”
– Try to respond w/a sense of ease and naturalness; ok to express if
you feel uneasy discussing sex
– Keep answers direct, honest, and at the child’s level of
understanding
– Let child know that you are open to more questions
• If child’s questions don’t arise spontaneously, parent may
want to initiate a discussion about sex
– Some open-ended questions:
• What do you think sex is?
• What do you know about how babies are made?
• What are some of the things that your friends tell you about sex?
 Sex education: parents
INITIATING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SPECIFIC TOPICS

• Some topics don’t get discussed unless parents take the

initiative
• Make child aware of physiological changes before they
actually happen
– Menstruation, first ejaculation, nocturnal orgasms, etc. can come as
quite a shock to someone who is unprepared
• Most young people prefer that their parents be the primary
source of information about sex
• Adolescent children who have open, positive, and frequent
communication w/parents are more likely to have fewer
sexual partners and later and less frequent sexual activity
than teens who don’t talk to their parents about sex
 School-based sex education
• 52% of school districts, and 57% of school require sex education at
the elementary school level (2001)
• Quality of programming varies
– Many programs leave out info about how BC, STIs, discussions of
interpersonal aspects of sexuality (stick to “safe” topics, like reproduction and
anatomy)
• Most parents support sex ed in schools
– Poll: 93% of adults support sex ed in h.s., and 84% support sex ed in middle
school
– Majority of adults reject abstinence-only approach to sex ed and believe teens
should be given info about how to avoid STIs and unplanned pregnancies
• Research shows that comprehensive sex ed programs do not
increase sexual activity, but they do decrease high-risk behaviors
 Abstinence-only sex education
• Survey of nationally representative sample of school districts
– 35% taught abstinence only sex ed (discussion of BC is prohibited, or BC is
simply said to be ineffective)
– 14% taught comprehensive sex ed (includes info about sexual maturation, BC,
abortion, STIs, relationship issues, and sexual orientation)
• Congressional report (2004): majority of federally funded
abstinence-only programs presented inaccurate and misleading
information, failed to separate science & religion
• So far, $900 million federal tax dollars have been spent to fund
abstinence-only sex ed programs, and $0 has been spent on
comprehensive sex ed
• Data shows that:
– abstinence-only programs have no effect on adolescents’ attitudes toward sex
or when they begin engaging in sexual activity
– No reduction in teen pregnancy and spread of STIs