Adolescent Sexual Development - Term Paper Example

Adolescent Sexual Development Adolescent Sexual Development Adolescent sexual development derives numerous challengesto adolescents and the society. Adolescents find it hard to adjust to the new body appearance and deal with the emerging sexual desires, sexual attitudes, values, and functionality of the sexually maturing body. As such, they develop new sexual behaviors, integrate sexual feelings, and seek to identify themselves in the new experience. They access sex information from the internet, pornographic materials, media, books, and sex experiences. Adolescents lack the emotional and cognitive ability to make reasonable sexuality decisions. As such, they make poor decisions that may lead to life-threatening consequences, which include premature sexual intercourse, premature pregnancies, sexual molestation, transmission of STDs, and abortions. Peer pressure, media influence, lack of enough preparation and guidance on responsible sexual behavior, drug and substance abuse, and curiosity fosters sexual activities during adolescent sexual development. Statistics show that most adolescents in America are prone to sexual intercourse, STDs, unprotected sex, premature pregnancies, sexual molestations, and carryout abortions. Parents, educators, policy makers, and medical practitioners can help adolescents to make wise sexual decisions. The provision of accurate sex information, parental guidance, sex education, national programs, and relevant legislations can address this problem. Adolescent Sexual Development Young people face numerous challenges from adolescent sexuality. Indeed, all adolescents are prone to sexuality issues at this stage. These challenges relate to adjusting to the new body appearance and dealing with the functionality of the sexually maturing body. Adolescents also face challenges in dealing with the emerging sexual desires, sexual attitudes, and values. Moreover, adolescent sexuality poses another challenge as adolescents develop new sexual behaviors, integrate sexual feelings, and seek to identify themselves in the new experience (Crocket et al, 2003). The challenge posed by adolescent sexual development emanates from the strange excitement of sexual arousal, the attention connected to being sexually attractive, and the new level of physical intimacy, and psychological vulnerability created by sexual encounters (Crocket et al, 2003). Notably, social and cultural background and environment determines how adolescents respond adolescent sexuality. The effects of adolescent sexual development derive significant problems to the young people and the society. Ideally, the fact that adolescents lack enough preparation and guidance on responsible sexual behavior complicates the challenges posed by adolescent sexuality. In fact, most adolescents develop to adulthood before having the cognitive ability to consider the consequences of their behavior. In all cases, the peer group acts as the primary source of sexual information for the adolescents. This is despite the fact that all peers at this stage face the same sexuality challenges. Adolescent sexual development involves physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and moral development. However, most adolescent relate sexual maturity with being fertile and having the physical characteristics that accommodate fertility. Among girls, sexual maturity relates to breast budding and menstruation (American Psychological Association, 2002). On the other hand, boys relate sexual maturity with enlargement of the testes and having the capacity to ejaculate (American Psychological Association, 2002). Notably, sexual maturity occurs at different ages among adolescents. Upon the assumption, that they are sexually mature, adolescents develop new sexual behaviors, which include dating. Indeed, dating is a fundamental stage in adolescents’ sexual development. In most cases, adolescents aged between 14 and 16 years (middle childhood) will begin to date (American Psychological Association, 2002). At this stage of sexual development, adolescents have high sexual impulses but lack cognitive ability to handle such impulses. As such, they seek sexual satisfaction from their peers not withstanding their premature age. Although boys develop the greatest sexual interest, girls are equally sexually active at this stage. The possibility of making poor decisions due to lack of cognitive and emotional capacity subjects the adolescents to adverse and life-long consequences. Indeed, at this age, teenagers lack the capacity to make wise decisions relating to their sexuality and cannot handle the adverse effects of sexual activity. This leads to a great societal problem. During adolescent sexual development, teenagers develop sexual fantasies and they seek to fantasize sexual behaviors. Moreover, they are likely to start masturbating as they seek to satisfy their sexual desires. At the same time, the adolescents engage in nonphysical sexual activities that may include texting, calling, and playing with peers who derive a sexual feeling. However, it is during this stage that they develop a sexual orientation where they develop positive or negative feelings on gays, lesbianism, and bisexuality. Although some adolescents may not engage in vaginal sexual intercourse and other may even choose to avoid sexual activities, they may still engage in other intimate activities that may derive health or sexual risks. Indeed, some adolescents engage in oral and anal sexual intercourse (American Psychological Association, 2002). Unfortunately, during adolescent sexual development, teenagers are highly prone to sexual coercion especially girls. Indeed, some female adolescents aged between 17 and 23 years have suffered from rape and sexual harassments (Crocket et al, 2003). The sexual behavior that a specific teenager adopts depends on peer pressure, their principles, cognitive ability, and their sexual choices. At this stage, teenagers seek to satisfy their sexual desires by reading sexual information and viewing sexual images and sexual content from print and electronic media. Indeed, adolescents can view pornographic materials, draw pictures of naked people, and read books with sexual content. In most cases, adolescents search and view sexual content from the internet which provides unlimited access to sexual information (Villarreal, n.y). Furthermore, teenagers value the internet in this context because it brings together people who are willing to talk about sex. They also feel secure while viewing information on sex because they are at liberty to conceal their identity. Additionally, some adolescents seek to satisfy their sexual desires and curiosity by secretly looking at people when they are bathing, having sex, or changing clothes. Various research question the adolescent’s exposure to sexual content through print or electronic media and its effects on adolescent sexual development. Indeed, the media influences the sexual behaviors, feelings, information, beliefs, and attitudes among adolescents. During the adolescent sexual development period when sexual behaviors, gender roles, and sexual attitudes develop, adolescents are prone to sexual content exposure from the media. Ideally, at this stage, teenagers lack the emotional and cognitive ability to analyze information from the media thus posing a great risk. As such, based on the media content, they make decisions that are likely to jeopardize their future life. Indeed, adolescents seek to copy and implement the sexual behaviors promoted by the media. The adolescents rely on the media for sexual information where they spend most of their time watching television programs that promote sexual behaviors. Indeed, research shows that adolescents view incidents of sexual behavior on various network televisions. Other factors that promote sexual behaviors among adolescents during adolescent sexual development include peer pressure where teenagers trust and rely on opinions from their peers. Since, all peers during this period seek to satisfy their sexual desires adolescents will be prone to sexual activities despite their premature age. Moreover, adolescents who drink alcohol and engage in substance are at a greater risk to engage in sexual activities without their knowledge (Villarreal, n.y). Indeed, drug and substance addicts are prone to unplanned sexual intercourse and sexual molestation, which leads to the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases since they rarely use contraceptives. Curiosity also drives adolescents to premature sexual activities as they seek to try what they learnt from the media (Villarreal, n.y). Notably, adolescent sexual development exposes adolescents to premature pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, unstable relationships, and other societal problems. Worth noting is that sexual relationships established during adolescence last for a very short time since the aim of such relationships is only to satisfy sexual desires. In America, about 46 percent of all high school students, and 62 percent of high school seniors, have had sexual intercourse (Advocates for Youth, 2008). Indeed, about six percent of high school students in America had sexual intercourse before age 13. Thirty-nine percent of the sexually active high school students in America did not use contraceptives during sexual intercourse (Advocates for Youth, 2008). Moreover, about 14 percent of high school students in America have had sexual intercourse with four or more partners over their lifetimes thus increasing their risk to STDs (Advocates for Youth, 2008). Although most adolescents engage in vaginal intercourse, more than 50 % of them have had oral sex. Indeed, during adolescent sexual development, adolescents change their behavior and develop an intimate relationship with their peers of the opposite sex. These relationships seek to satisfy the adolescents’ sexual impulses. As such, relationships established during adolescent sexual development do not last for long and hence lead to heartbreaks, premature pregnancies, abortions, use of contraceptives, and sexually transmitted diseases. Various researches show that in every year, 75 per 1,000 adolescent girls in America get pregnant while aged between 15 and 17 years. Moreover, statistics estimate that 25% of sexually active teenagers and 13% of all adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 contract sexually transmitted diseases each year (Advocates for Youth, 2008). At the same time, 14.3 per thousand females aged between 15 to 19 years abort and they account for 16.2 percent of all abortions in the United States (Advocates for Youth, 2008). As such, there has been a great concern to premarital sexual intercourse among adolescents subject to the adverse effects it derives to the adolescents and the society. Notably, to address this problem, there is need to educate teens about the risks of sexual behavior and schools and parents should seek to reach adolescents before they become sexually active. As they develop, adolescents require accurate information about their sexuality. Since, parents, educators, and policymakers are the most trusted source of this information they should have adequate information about adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. As such, parents should involve themselves in information and culturally competent programs that provide complete and accurate information that addresses adolescent sexuality. With enough and relevant information adolescents will have the capacity to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive health (Advocates for Youth, 2008). It is thus important for parents, educators, and policymakers to prepare themselves to discuss sex-related matters with the adolescents. This will significantly help the adolescents to make wise decisions on their sexuality. If parents understand the process of adolescent sexual development, they can easily assist the teenagers to cope with the effects of the process. Such information would help the parents, friends, and educators establish when they should intervene to prevent the adolescents from making poor decisions on their sexuality. Further studies on the relationship between the media and sexual behaviors among the adolescents will help parents to regulate media exposure to the teenagers. This will derive a clear view on how the media portrays the risks and rewards of engaging in sex during adolescent sexual development. Future research should also advocate for parental involvement in analyzing the adolescents media exposure, adolescents understanding of the media, and the adolescents identification with celebrities, and the consequences of health risk behaviors. Moreover, addressing all questions relating to sexual development, sexual desire, and developing sexual identity in an open manner would significantly help adolescents in making wise decisions (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013). Parents should master the confidence of talking about sex with their children. As such, parents should volunteer to give information and good moral advice to their teenagers thus helping them to learn how to protect themselves, use contraceptives, cope with peer pressure, and abstain from premature sex (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013). With this information, adolescents will be able to avoid adverse and potentially life-threatening decisions. At the same time, parents should empower and encourage their teenagers that they have the capacity to withstand peer pressure and media pressure (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013). Nevertheless, parents should reckon that every adolescent is unique and they should therefore address them differently. Policy makers should also include sexual education in the curriculum to help adolescents learn about sexuality long before they contemplate to engage in premature sexual activities. Teachers should also advise the parents to register their disapproval of sexual activity among adolescents in an informed, honest, and cool manner (Villarreal, n.y). Parents should practice with the adolescents on how to address sexual pressure scenarios and should be clear on specific sexual issues like oral sex and intercourse. This will significantly, help the teenagers to handle such issues during adolescence. Parents must understand their teenagers’ challenges, pressures, and expectations to prepare them for the challenges posed by adolescent sexual development. In seeking to help the adolescent, educators and parents should rely on facts, ethics, and moral duty with respect to their personal or religious beliefs (Villarreal, n.y). In all cases, we should encourage the adolescent to talk about sex with their parents by showing concern and offering the relevant information about adolescent sexuality. In this context, parents or health providers should discuss the need for condom use and other available contraceptive options (Advocates for Youth, 2008). Moreover, we should advise the adolescents on the available options should unprotected intercourse or pregnancy occur. This should relate to the use of emergency contraception, parenting, STI testing, abortion, treatment, and adoption (Advocates for Youth, 2008). This will help the teenager to make a wise decision based on the available options. Medical practitioners can offer accurate sexual information to all parties and support parental-child communication on sexual matters. Moreover, policy makers should call for the provision of health care needs for adolescents on a national scale and support relevant legislations that advocate for the provision of information that can help adolescents in making responsible sexual decisions. References Advocates for Youth. (2008). Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Demographics. Retrieved from: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/413-adolescent-sexual-behavior-i-demographics American Academy of Pediatrics. (2013). Adolescent Sexuality: Talk the Talk Before They Walk the Walk. Retrieved from: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/dating-sex/pages/Adolescent-Sexuality-Talk-the-Talk-Before-They-Walk-the-Walk.aspx American Psychological Association. (2002). Developing Adolescents: A Reference for Professionals. Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/develop.pdf Crocket, L et al. (2003). Adolescent Sexuality: Behavior and Meaning. Retrieved from: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1244&context=psychfacpub Villarreal, A. (n.y). Sexual activity among adolescents. Retrieved from: http://www.cedu.niu.edu/~shumow/itt/doc/SexualActivityAmongAdolescents.pdf Read More