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Trends In Adolescent
Sexuality: A Look At Canadian Youth Statistics Canada released data showing what other kinds of trouble teens and pre-teens are embracing. Some 13 percent of youth have had sexual intercourse before they reach the age of 15, while condom use among this age group is erratic at best, leaving teens open to pregnancy and potentially deadly sexually transmitted infections. (“Vital to keep tabs on kids”, Daily Mercury, Guelph Ontario, May 9, 2005) With the media moral panic that is hitting newsstands lately, such articles like the one above that appeared in the Guelph Daily Mercury are not uncommon. Coloured bracelets, rainbow parties, oral sex in public places, does this reflect what our kids are experiencing? We are very quick to call all of this an epidemic. In the media frenzy about blow jobs in the school bathroom and the back of the bus, there is a plethora of this kind of reporting – reporting that is not always accurate and constructs a skewed picture of adolescence, and the “troubled teen”. For example, what the Daily Mercury article does not make clear is that in the Statistics Canada survey (of which it is quoting), it was 13% of 14-15 year olds (not all youth) who reported some form of sexual behaviour (not just intercourse), which included masturbation. What comes with this kind of media phenomenon (“leaving teens open to…”) is an atmosphere of fear and inaccurate information, which can be more dangerous in itself. Therefore, not only are sex education programs vital for helping youth make healthy decisions about sex and life choices, but they are important for helping people deconstruct the media information that exists – from Sex and the City, to the internet, to daily newspapers. Are teens having sex? The answer is yes. What may be surprising is how teens define – or do not define – sex. Most teenagers do not consider petting or oral sex as “sex”. While there has been lots of discussion about this, it is important to understand that this debate is equally split among adults as well. With that being said, fifty percent of teenagers are having sex by the age of 17, and this increases with age. Ten percent of Canadian teens between 12-14 years old have had sexual intercourse, and 35 % of sexually active Canadians, aged 15-17, have had two or more sexual partners (Maticka-Tyndale, 2001). In self-reported surveys, not surprisingly, males tend to over report, whereas females tend to under report about their sexual activity. As educators, it is important for us to understand the reasons why teenagers engage in sex in order to start a dialogue and move towards education. The reasons teens have sex are much the same reasons that adults have sex; to alleviate sense of loneliness, to express emotion, to escape boredom, because they are horny, and because they can. The difference between motivators for adults and for teens include such factors as: the need to feel older, for attention, to be popular, and an increased need for self-esteem. It is important to note that the issue of self-esteem and earlier sexual behaviour work in opposite ways for boys and girls. In the case of boys, sexual behaviour is correlated to a higher self-esteem, while in girls it is correlated to a lowered self-esteem. An additional factor for teens is the well-understood concept of peer pressure and the influence of peer associations at this stage of life. Factors which contribute to earlier sexual involvement Many researchers have tried to pinpoint the indicators of earlier sexual involvement. While it’s not always well defined exactly what “early sexual involvement” means, we use it here to mean sexual involvement in early adolescence below the Canadian of average of sexual debuts (17 years). The majority of these factors are connected to adolescent risk-taking behaviours, which is a fundamental characteristic of their life-stage development. Another important element of adolescence is the notion of optimistic bias (i.e.: “it won’t happen to me.”). This belief/attitude permeates most of adolescence and their decision-making processes. The likelihood of using drugs and alcohol increases the likelihood of early sexual activity, but on its own does not preclude, prescribe, or predict sexual behaviours. There have been many correlations drawn between adolescent sexual behaviours and other factors, but it is important to understand that these are not direct causations. Some connecting factors include the use of drugs and/or alcohol, lower academic performance, peer pressure, and peer associations. Being involved in dating and romantic relationships also increases the opportunity for sexual exploration. As well, one of the strongest connections is the belief that friends have done it or are doing it. Socio-familial factors include fewer religious commitments, more distant relationships with parents, lack of parental supervision, and good old social rebellion. Another element to take note of is biology and the perception of physical maturity, especially in young girls. The concept of precocious puberty (i.e.: beginning puberty at an early age) may bring up potentially distorted views of maturity, which for some girls can, in some cases, lead to either a perception of emotional maturity, or unwanted sexual advances on behalf of boys and men. Trends and sexual behaviour In a nut shell there is good news and some not-so-good news. Statistically adolescents are initiating sex at earlier ages, however, the rate of Canadian teen pregnancies are declining, and have been declining for the past 20 years. This decline has also lead to a decline in teen abortion rates (although a third of all teen pregnancies continue to end in abortion). This shift is largely attributed to a widespread use and effectiveness of lower dose contraception. New and exciting methods of administering contraception have also made birth control more appealing than ever before. As a result, Canadian teens are more likely to seek out contraception. Despite the decrease in adolescent pregnancies, there has been an increase in the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), including HIV/AIDS, among youth. Teens are still disproportionately at risk for STI’s for a number of social reasons; teens are more likely to have multiple partners over a given period of time, have unprotected sex, and to choose higher risk partners. Cause for great concern is the risky sexual behaviour of youth between the ages of 15-25. In a recent survey conducted by the Sex Information Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN) (2005), of sexually active people between the ages of 15-25, 40% used condom at last intercourse, but are less likely to use condoms if they are just with one partner. Eighty percent of girls and 60% of boys who have been infected with chlamydia do not know they are infected. Finally, as well as not defining oral sex as “sex”, most teens do not now that oral sex is not safe sex. Most teens, and adults alike, are not aware of the potential for transferring STI’s to the mouth or back of the throat. Oral sex and teens is not a new thing, but certainly one in which we are talking more about. Eighteen percent of 12 to15 year olds have experienced oral sex. In a Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study (2003) of 11,000 Grade 7, 9, 11 students, when asked the question “Have you ever engaged in oral sex?” 32% of male grade 9 students and 53% of male grade 11 students answered “yes”. Twenty-eight percent of female grade 9 students and 52% of female grade 11 students said “yes”. There are two important points about understanding adolescent oral sex. The first is that in a post-AIDS society, even with the gaps in knowledge around HIV/AIDS transmission, teens have managed to construct a set of norms around a lower risk sexual behaviour. Secondly, we must be careful not to construct the oral sex “phenomenon” through an adult lens, because the adult lens, as well as the feminist perspective, would have us believe that engaging in and performing oral sex on boys is degrading to girls. While this certainly may be the case in some instances, a majority of teenage girls would construct their reality of this activity as power-enhancing since she has the boy’s “most prized possession” in her mouth. This is not to deny that there still exist double standards regarding male and female sexual behaviours, which is another reason why sex education is vital to dispel myths and to cut through age-old double standards. While some teens may experience oral sex as a casual activity, anecdotally we know that most teens do it in the construction of a monogamous intimate relationship. It is important to keep in mind, however, the way in which long-term relationships and monogamy are defined by teens, and that they tend to be shorter in length than adults’. Thus, a changing in partners is more rapid than in adulthood. Education is especially needed around HIV/AIDS, if only to dispel some dangerous myths that continue to prevail. Most commonly heard in the classroom is that there is a cure for AIDS, AIDS is a gay disease, and AIDS happens mostly in Africa. The rate of HIV/AIDS within the heterosexual community in Canada is increasing at a noticeable rate. In 1998, 11% of new HIV infections were spread through heterosexual contact. In 2003, 33% of new HIV infections were spread through heterosexual contact, a 20% increase in 5 years. Among young heterosexual women, the numbers have increased: in 1994, females aged 15-29 years old represented 10% of AIDS diagnosis. By 2003, females aged 15-29 years old represented 41% of AIDS diagnosis. That is an increase of 30% in nine years (Maclean’s, May 30, 2005). HIV statistics for Native populations are increasingly alarming, as well. From 1998 to 2001, an estimated 605 Aboriginal persons tested positive to HIV, making that 26 % of all reported cases in Canada. And, 30% of Aboriginal people living with AIDS are under 30 years old (Information Center on Aboriginal Health, 2001). As well, rates of bacterial STI’s, such as chlamydia, in the James Bay region are 10 times the provincial rate, and in 2000 there were 24 cases of gonorrhea per 100,000 within the Cree population, compared to 9 in 100,000 for the rest of Quebec. Teenage pregnancy rates within the Cree population are also high: 10-14 year old girls are six times more likely to give birth than their provincial average; 15-19 year olds are eight times more likely; and 20-24 year olds are twice as likely. Given all this information, there is an urgent need for improving upon the sex education and risk reduction education in the schools where we have the largest access to our youth. The three largest target groups for increased risk reduction education are youth (under 25), heterosexual women, and Aboriginal groups. Quebec System of Education: Currently, there are tremendous gaps between the school boards, the individual schools, and what is being taught in the classrooms in the way of sexual health across Quebec. This gap becomes far more visible when we look at the curriculum across the country. In Quebec, efforts are being made to improve on the comprehensive sex education in schools. It is becoming evident that it is more crucial than ever before to get teachers on board for the delivery of accurate, sensitive, ethical, and age-appropriate sexual health education in their classrooms. Because of this, training will be offered for teachers, nurses, social workers, child care workers, and guidance counselors in the area of understanding adolescent sexuality, and in teaching sexual health in the classroom. In Montreal this fall, such a training program will be offered by Stephanie Mitelman, in conjunction with Concordia University, at the beginning of the academic year. In addition, several programs on sexual health have been developed and implemented, based on the needs of individual groups and communities. Also in the works for next year is the launching of the Montreal chapter of Planned Parenthood Federation. Connecting to the larger federal network of Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada, the goal of P.P. Montreal will be to provide a network of services, information, and resources for educators, nurses, social workers, guidance counselors, child care workers, and others who work in the area of sexual health education. Stephanie Mitelman will serve as President of PP Montreal, and Jo Visser will be a member of the Board of Directors. Bios Stephanie Mitelman, CCFE, CSE Jo Visser MA Bibliography
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