WC: 1868
Adolescence, as we know, is a period of puberty, a period of becoming sexually mature. On the one hand, individuals in the period of adolescence become ready for sexual relationships physiologically. On the other hand, most of the teens are not prepared for sexual relationship emotionally, psychologically, etc. That is why the sexual activity of adolescents is associated with different risk factors and negative outcomes.
Rector and colleagues conducted the study of approximately 6500 individuals of age 14-17 and investigated how the sexual activity of teen boys and teen girls influences their feeling of unhappiness and depression. Results of the study showed that both sexual active female and male teens experience depression (as the feeling of unhappiness, not specific clinical diagnosis) more often than female and male teens that are not sexually active. Results also demonstrated that degree of depression is higher among sexually active teen girls than among teen boys: while 25,3% of sexually active girls experience unhappiness, among sexually active male teens the number of those who feel depressed is only 8,3% (Rector, Johnson & Noyes, 2003).
The Higher degree of depression among teen girls can be explained by the fact that in most cases, adolescence girls have more conservative attitudes to sexuality than boys. They often want to experience a deeper affection toward a person with whom they have sexual relations. Girls are more worried about their reputation (often are afraid of getting a bad reputation) if they have multiple partners (Rice& Dolgin, 2008, p.285).
The same researchers also examined if sexual activity influences suicide attempts among teens. As their study showed, 14,3% of sexually active teen girls and 6% of sexually active teen boys attempted suicide. Among sexually inactive adolescents such percent was lower in several times (Rector, Johnson & Noyes, 2003).
Rector, Johnson & Noyes (2003) also suggested that such differences between teenagers who are sexually active and teenagers who are sexually inactive can depend on another factor (for example, socioeconomic status of a family) than sexual activity, per se. That`s why they conducted the additional examination of the teens who participated in their study. They compared sexually inactive and sexually active teens with a similar family background, gender, income, etc. and concluded that these additional factors did not influence depression and attempts of suicide significantly. It means that factor of sexual activity was the main reason regarding the origin of depression and suicide attempts in adolescents who participated in the study.
One more study was aimed to explore if teens who had already initial sexual intercourse regret about they did not wait longer until they would become older. Although, as results of the study showed, the percentage of individuals who regret about early sexual experience was higher among female teens (72%), there was also the high percent of a male who regret that they did not wait longer (55%) (Rector, Johnson & Noyes, 2003).
The link between sexual activity and adolescent depression, suicide attempts, can be explained by the fact that sex, as a rule, it is not only physical but also deep emotional intimacy. That is why before engaging in a sexual relationship, it is important to establish a trust relationship on an emotional level.
When teenagers say that they have sexual desires and that they want to have sex with someone, what do they really mean? It is easy, of course, say that they want to give a quick release of their biological needs. But often the driving force of adolescent sexuality is emotional needs that have nothing to do with physical pleasure. These emotional needs include the desire to feel someone's affection, to get rid of loneliness, to be recognized, to reaffirm their masculinity or femininity, self-esteem, to express anger or to avoid boredom. Sex becomes a means of expression and meets nonsexual emotional needs.
When teenagers are trying to release their other needs by sex, new problems arise. If getting emotional satisfaction by sexual contacts is not possible, the result can be a depression, low self-esteem, reducing the degree of closeness, increased sensitivity, and reduced satisfaction with sexual intercourse. The psychological danger of early sexual experience is that early teens` sexual activity can influence the development of immature sexual habits and immature relationships in which individuals are not satisfied and do not have the pleasure and which he/she will carry into adulthood (Rice& Dolgin, 2008, p. 282).
Unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, HIV are main risk factors for adolescents who are sexually active (Kotchick, Shaffer, Miller & Forehand, 2001, p. 493). Since a lot of adolescents are engaged in sexual relationships, one of the main task for researchers is to investigate psychological mechanisms by which risky sexual behavior among adolescents can be prevented.
According to the data of 1997, approximately one-half of teenage students had sexual experience until graduation, 21% of boys-teenagers had initial sexual activity by 15 years and 7,2% had initial sexual experience before the age of 13. Also, another survey showed that approximately 20% of teenagers use alcohol and drugs when having sexual intercourse and 10-20% of sexually active adolescents use condoms regularly. Another factor which can increase the likelihood of negative consequences of teenage sexual activity is the fact that teenagers, as a rule, have sexual contacts in the context of short-term relationships, so they often change sexual partners (Kotchick, Shaffer, Miller & Forehand, 2001, p. 495).
Results of different studies indicate that approximately 50% of teenage pregnancies lead to abortion and miscarriage while another 50% cases finished in giving birth of a child by teenage girls. Secondary consequences of risky sexual behaviors and unintended pregnancies can negatively influence both teenage girls and teenage boys. For example, mother-teenagers can raise a child without a father and experience socioeconomic difficulties, have the problems with employment and achieving their potential, etc.
I know an incident of real life when a risky sexual behavior has led to very disappointing results. One young woman had a long and strong relationship with a man with whom they were going to get married in a few years. However, her boyfriend went for a few months in another city. While he was absent, this girl was once at a party where she drank alcohol. Because of alcohol intoxication (and quite possibly because of her frivolousness), she had a casual sexual relationship. After some time, she learned about her unplanned pregnancy. Being very conservative, the parents of the girl insisted that she married her unborn child's father. As a result, she created a family with a man whom she did not love and who did not love her. Furthermore, she had broken the heart of her boyfriend and ruined their relationship.
This girl had the family with the father of her child for a few unhappy years. During these several family years, her husband used to her physical force and abuse. And after the divorce, the son of this undesirable marriage even did not continue to keep the connection with his father.
So once thoughtless risky sexual behavior brought much suffer to several people.
Craig indicated that until the sexual revolution, it was common for individuals to begin sexual activity only after marriage. Society condemned those women who had premarital sexual relationships though men were more allowed to engage in sexual intercourse before marriage. But after sexual revolution these rules, views and traditions regarding sexual relationships were destroyed, and young people began to demonstrate more frivolous and risky behavior concerning their sexual contacts (Craig, 1996, p. 506).
Elkins suggested that unsafe sexual behavior of teens and another type of risky behavior are associated with adolescents` belief in own super-uniqueness. According to the concept of Elkins, teenagers often do not think about sad consequence (for instance, unplanned pregnancy, traumatization, forming of addictions, etc.) when they act insecurely and unsafe, because they believe that they are so special and unique so nothing bad can happen to them (Craig, 1996, p. 543).
Schantz identifies risky sexual behavior as an early beginning of sexually active life, as sex without using condoms or with using condoms incorrectly, as having sexual relationships with many sexual partners. According to Schantz, adolescents` social environment with higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases can be additional factors influencing teens` risky sexual behavior (Schantz, 2012).
When asked why they had sex for the first time, 43% of male high school students said that the reason was that they had the opportunity to have sex; 23% said that they were in love. Among women 54% said that they were in love, and only 11% said they were ready for it or had the opportunity. Only a small number of boys and girls said that the reason for their first sex was the desire of physical pleasure or pressure from a partner.
Also, there is evidence of specific cases of forced sex, especially for teenage girls. About 7% of young women said they had been forced to have sex first, and about 25% - do not like sex and do it the first time, to give pleasure to the partner. The younger girl was at the time of first sexual intercourse, the higher was an opportunity to had sexual intercourse under a pressure of a partner: 70% of girls brought into sex under the age of 13 years, described the first sexual experience as forced and unwanted. It is not surprising that men are more likely to describe their first sexual experience as a pleasant in comparison to women. Both men and women describe their first sexual experience as a more emotionally positive, if the first sexual partner was their loved one (Rice& Dolgin, 2008, p. 276).
Individuals in adolescence, as we know, are very strongly dependent on opinions of their peers. It is important to them what classmates, friends, and other individuals of their age think of them. They want to be accepted by peer groups and are afraid to be rejected by these groups. They want to be "like everyone else" and, therefore, may agree to risky sexual behavior.
According to Erikson's concept, teenagers still form their identity; they try themselves in different roles, try different kinds of behavior. As teens still do not fully understand who they are and what they want, and it can be difficult to understand for them what a partner they for a relationship, what kind of relationship they want, with which partners they may have a sexual relationship, and with what - no. It also increases the likelihood of a risky sexual behavior.
Teens tend to form sexual standards similar to the standards of their peers, and they are more likely to be involved in sexual activity if peers discuss their sexual experiences. Moreover, young people who are members of groups of adolescents with delinquent behavior are more likely to be involved in an early sexual activity. Miller (Miller) and colleagues simultaneously compare multiple parameters that could predict adolescent sexual activity and found that the belief that friends have sexual relations is the best option, predicting the sexual activity of a teenager. Influence of friends on sexual behavior is found most in the early years of college (Rice& Dolgin, 2008, p. 280).
Another problem of teenage sexual activity might be due to the fact that individuals in this age group may experience sexual desire, love, affection for a sexual partner, but at the same time, they can be absolutely no prepared to take responsibility and obligations towards a partner and toward sexual relationships between them.
References
Craig, G. J. (1996). Human development . Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Rector, R. E., Johnson, K. A., & Noyes, L. R. (2003). Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely To Be Depressed and To Attempt Suicide. A Report of the Heritage Center for Data Analysis.
Kotchick, B. A., Shaffer, A., Miller, K. S., & Forehand, R. (2001). Adolescent sexual risk behavior: A multi-system perspective. Clinical psychology review, 21(4), 493-519.
Schantz, K. (2012). Substance Use and Sexual Risk Taking in Adolescence. ACT for Youth Center of Excelence. Retrieved from http://www.actforyouth.net/resources/rf/rf_substance_0712.cfm
Rice, F. P., & Dolgin, K. G. (2008). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
