Sexuality and Its Impact and Relevance to Health Issues - Assignment Example

Sexuality and its Impact and Relevance to Health Issues Sexuality is an important facet of being human. In fact, human beings can be described as sexual beings. There are, however, many aspects of sexuality that directly and often adversely impact health. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine sexuality and its impact on health related issues. This paper will be looking at some key theoretical paradigms that deal with sexuality and health, specifically in sexually active young people. Sexual health is typically a more taboo subject than other general health issues as sex is a more personal subject to most. It is, however, critical to discuss sex and sexuality as they both relate to public health issues. Sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDS are of epidemic proportion in many parts of the world. Just in the United States alone, nearly 40,000 individuals are infected with HIV each year and nearly 1 million Americans are currently living with HIV. One third of those individuals do not even know that they are HIV positive yet. Other health issues such as teen pregnancy are becoming more and more pandemic. Young people and teens are engaging in sexual activity at much earlier ages than ever before. It is a statistical fact that nearly ½ of pregnancies are unintentional. In addition, induced abortions are occurring more and more frequently as a birth control method. The first issue to be considered in this paper is the issue of HIV and AIDS. Certainly, it is a well known fact within civilized societies that HIV/AIDS is a dangerous, sexually transmitted disease. Unfortunately, there are assumptions which surround this STD that are simply not true and therefore cause many individuals to be misinformed, thus causing them to make uneducated sexual decisions. It is assumed by some that HIV/AIDS is a homosexual’s disease. This is simply not the case. Diseases are not prejudice. HIV is a virus which is communicable through specific bodily fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal secretions. It is, however, much easier to contract HIV from a male than it is from a female, simply because males are equipped with a more active mode of fluid exchange than females. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) can be contracted through heterosexual sex just as easily as through homosexual sex. The only prerequisite is that one individual must be positive for the disease to then give it to another individual through sexual contact. This has nothing to do with being gay or straight. It is also possible and common to contract HIV/AIDS through intravenous drug use. Hypodermic needles are used to administer illicit street drugs such as heroin. If these needles are reused by individuals and passed from one person to the next, the possibility of HIV/AIDS infection is possible and probable, specifically if an infected individual uses a hypodermic needle and then passes the needle to someone else. This is essentially a means of contact between one person’s blood stream and another’s. It is a common misconception that HIV/AIDS is either a homosexual’s disease or even an overly sexually active person’s disease. Someone can contract HIV by having sexual intercourse with an infected individual, even if it is their first time engaging in sex. These misconceptions about sex are dangerous as they misinform the public and lead to poor and uneducated decisions. Another important aspect of sexuality concerning HIV is the impact that the disease itself has on infected individuals and their personal sexuality: “We have known for at least a decade that gender and sexuality are significant factors in the sexual transmission of HIV, and we now know that they also influence treatment, care, and support” (Gupta 2000, p. 1). Sexuality and sexual orientation, however, are two different things. One’s sexuality is not dependant on one’s sexual orientation. Sexuality is a broad term which can encompass sexual activity level, personal feelings on sex and even include sexual orientation. Sexual orientation deals specifically with whether one is gay, bisexual, or straight. It can be said that there is an unbalanced dispersal of power among men and women that leads to increased vulnerability to STDs, particularly HIV, “ Research supported by ICRW and conducted by researchers worldwide has identified the different ways in which the imbalance in power between women and men in gender relations curtails women’s sexual autonomy and expands male sexual freedom, thereby increasing women’s and men’s risk and vulnerability to HIV”(Gupta 2000, p.2). Power is a relevant factor when discussing sex and sexuality. In most cases of sexual violence, power is the root of the act, not sex itself. Many sexologists also feel that power is a contributing factor to acquiring sexually transmitted diseases as well. Individuals who feel powerless and lack sexual confidence may be at higher risk for STDs due to not using condoms during sexual activities. Individuals with low self esteem may be prone also to higher volumes of partners and frequency of causal sexual encounters as a means of boosting self esteem. This causes that particular individual to be at higher risk for STDs as their number of partners increases as well as their lack of use of protection. Also, individuals who have a sociopathic need for power are at higher risk to commit sexually violent crimes: “ Accounts from both offenders and victims of what occurs during a rape suggest that issues of power, anger, and sexuality are important in understanding the rapists behavior”(Groth 1977, p.1239). Individuals who are confident and have high self esteem, are more likely to use protection when engaging in sexual activities, especially under casual circumstances. In one particular model set fort by sexologist Beatrice Robinson et al, is discussed acceptance of one’s sexuality is directly associated with condom use. This model also closely examines the dynamics of relationships and intimacy and how those factors relate to HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for individuals who are HIV positive, to become depressed and therefore irresponsible sexually. These individuals tend to engage in unprotected sex with other individuals who are unaware of their positive status. Some of the existing theoretical models for homosexuality are somewhat controversial. Early in the twentieth century, male homosexuality was classified as a pathological condition brought about by poor upbringing. It has since been revised but not drastically enough to reflect that homosexuality is as normal a sexual identity as being heterosexual. According to the Cass Model of sexual identity: “There are several theories that describe the sexual orientation development of gay and lesbian individuals. Because people are unique and everyone has his or her own story, no one theory describes all people”(Cass, 1979). The Cass model illustrates steps to accepting one’s sexual orientation as homosexual and is much more progressive than the earlier Freudian models which illustrate homosexuality as a pathological condition. Another theoretical model to be discussed is that of sexual addiction and compulsion. Sexual compulsion or addiction can be defined as sexual behavior that is out of control or irrationally irresponsible. The difficulty, however, with this model is where exactly it is appropriate to draw the line between out of control sexual behavior or responsibly active sexual behavior: “In an uncontrolled study of 37 subjects with self-defined ‘out-of-control’ sexual behavior, Black, Kehrberg, Flumerfelt, and Schlosser (1997) found a high prevalence of co-morbidity with psychiatric conditions, most notably lifetime histories of substance use disorders (64%), anxiety disorders (50%), and mood disorders (39%)”(Bancroft, 2004). It is fair to say based on some of the research compiled on “sexual compulsion” that in most actual cases of sexual compulsion, there exists a synergy of substance abuse, depression and other compulsive behaviors. Basing a theoretical model on sexual compulsion alone does not seem entirely fair or accurate considering most of the data available. Some research has been able to align certain types of sexually deviant behavior with narcissistic personality types. This can be compared perhaps to individuals who are non committal or avoid intimacy: Two theoretical models, each addressing one of these issues, were evaluated empirically. Our first proposed model suggests that the agentic nature of narcissism explains why narcissism is linked to less restricted forms of sexual attitudes and behaviors (i.e., unrestricted sociosexuality). Our second proposed model suggests that a consequence of the sexual attitudes and behaviors associated with narcissism is low relationship commitment. Both of these models received empirical support”(Foster et al, 2006). Based on the research of Foster et al, and the development of his models concerning narcissistic behavior in social sexuality, it is clear that perhaps promiscuity and non-committal behavior may be a form of sexually deviant behavior. The term “safe sex” has become a household term almost universally. The contradiction, however, lays with the stigma attached to sex in the advertising industry. It is almost impossible to turn on one’s television without seeing commercials or advertisements including scantily clad individuals in provocative situations. These are images available to anyone from young children to teens and so on: “ Sexual desire and sexual relations are focal topics in the most popular and accessible newspapers, and in magazines and other media designed for young people” (Wight et al 1998, p. 317). The unfortunate aspect of this is that teen pregnancy is on the rise and children are having sex at younger ages than ever before. It is reported that in the United Kingdom, more than 20% of women age 16, have already become sexually active (Wight et al, 1998). In addition, more than 40,000 abortions are performed yearly on teens in the UK due to unwanted pregnancies. This is likely due to inadequate protection or no protection at all. It is unfortunate also that the rise is in not only teen pregnancy but in the contraction of STDs. Most sociologists and sexologists feel that this is due again to the lack of education about the importance of safe sex as well as the media’s bombarding young people with images glorifying and promoting sex. Another problem viewed by experts is the maturity level of individuals entering into sexual relationships. Individuals who may not be emotionally mature or even physically mature are so used to the idea of sexuality and sex as seen on television that they are making the adult decision to become sexually active without being fully or properly informed. Among American school children and teens, it is noted that African-American girls are more prone to early sexual activity, “African American girls are at greater risk of early sexual behavior than Caucasian girls because they experience pubertal development earlier and may appear older and sexually desirable to older males (Herman-Gidden et al., 1997)”(Doswell et al, 2003). Based on one study conducted among inner city schools, African-American girls were studied to see where their attitudes toward sex originated. It was observed by William Doswell et al, that these pre-sexual attitudes on whether to abstain from sex or not originated with the girls’ mothers as opposed to fathers, peers, or other family members. In cases where individuals are seeing drug use and promiscuous sex at home, there may be a direct link to their attitudes after puberty about sex and whether to engage in sexual activity or not. On the other hand, this same study concluded that mothers are pivotal in encouraging their daughters to act responsibly sexually. It is suggested by the study that nurses consider the mother-daughter team as a unit in which to work with on an educational basis. If the mothers and their daughters could be educated together about safe sex and sexual alternatives, then the overall thought is that a difference could be made. Among Westernized countries, America is the leader in teen pregnancies despite apparent efforts on the part of many health organizations, “Adolescent pregnancy and parenting remains a pressing social and public health concern because the United States continues to have the highest teen pregnancy rate among Western developed nations and because of the attendant social, psychological and physical problems for young parents and their children”(Saunders, 2005). The funding necessary to minimize the problem simply does not exist. It is, however, key to maximize the programs that do exist by basing them on theoretical models (Saunders, 2005). In conclusion, it is important to look at the social control of sexuality as it is pertinent in every society. Sexuality is determined not only by an individual’s genetics and family relationships but also by cultural influences and practices (DeLamater, 1981). “Societies differ remarkably in what they consider socially desirable and undesirable in terms of sexual behavior and consequently differ in what they attempt to prevent or promote”(Britannica, p. 11). One example of social control in sexuality is given by John Henslin. The example he provides is that of incest, “Another way to see how extensively sex is social is to look at the social control of human sexuality. One of the best examples is incest. Although most of us feel revulsion at the idea of having sex with our mother or father, a brother or a sister, or our own child, not everyone does”(Henslin, p.1). Henslin provides incest as an example of a social boundry set forth in sexuality primarily in Westernized culture, but explains that not every culture recognizes or adheres to this particular social sexual boundary. It is notable that without some sort of social sexual control, there would be even less boundary set forth sexually and more than likely an increase in evolutionary decay worldwide. This would include massive products of incest and therefore an overall lessening in the quality of the global gene pool. Furthermore, sexuality is hugely responsible for affecting public health specifically when it is as frivolously portrayed in Westernized culture. The overwhelming contradiction which exists between the growing problem of sex related illness and sex driven media is part of the overall sociological sexual problem which exists in today’s society. References: Bancroft, John. 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