chastity/sex
More than three-quarters of teen boys (78%) feel that there's "way too much pressure from society" to be sexually active, according to a new survey by Seventeen magazine and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Jake Helgenberg, 17, who was a survey participant, said, "People watch shows like [MTV's] Jersey Shore and Real World or listen to music that makes [sex] a big deal," he said. "People are surrounded by it." [thechurchreport.com, 2/8/10 stats, c&e - Plugged In Online 2/16/10] After many years in decline, the rates of teens giving birth and contracting sexually transmitted diseases took a significant jump in 2006 and 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The data presented in this report indicate that many young persons in the United States engage in sexually risky behavior and experience negative reproductive health outcomes," CDC officials say. "Earlier progress appears to be slowing and perhaps reversing." The number of teens contracting HIV and syphilis have increased since 1997. Likewise, gonorrhea infection rates have leveled out after decreasing for more than two decades. [healthnews.com, 7/21/09 - Plugged In Online 7/31/09]According to scientists at Child Trends (a nonpartisan research organization), the percentage of teens reporting that they were sexually active fell significantly between 1992 and 2002. The percentages of 15- to 19-year old girls and boys who said they had had sex in 1992 were 56% and 61%, respectively. By 2002, those percentages had dropped to 47% for girls and 46% for boys. According to Child Trends researcher Dr. Jennifer Manlove, the decrease in sexual activity among teens has to do with increasing parental education and a decreasing number of teens who were born to teen mothers themselves. And despite the much-publicized trend of teens hooking up more frequently for casual sex, researchers found no statistical evidence of that behavior. "Based on these data, we did not see any increase in casual sex," Manlove said. [Reuters, 5/29/09 stats - Plugged In Online 6/12/09] In the "all publicity is good publicity" department, Russell Brand's criticism of purity rings has resulted in a surge of interest in them. "I've received a good amount of feedback," said Jason Burtt, national director of the Christian organization Silver Ring Thing, which runs more than 70 programs a year promoting abstinence until marriage. "Nothing negative, but mostly positive support from all over the country from people interested in the program." Silver Ring Thing founder Denny Pattyn, a youth minister who has already appeared on the Today Show, told MTV News that he's received several media requests in the United States and England. "This is a big, big to-do," Pattyn said. "It's fantastic for an organization like ours, and we think this will open up some major things." [mtv.com, 9/9/08 c&e - Plugged In Online 9/18/08] According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the decade-long decline in sexual activity among high schoolers leveled off sometime between 2001 and 2007. CDC researchers also reported that the trend toward increased condom use by sexually active teens flattened out in 2003. The report did not examine any reasons for the trends, but other observers say there could be many causes. "The truth is that, as a field, we really don't know what the answer is," said Sarah S. Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "There are lots of theories: the economy, classroom education, the messages kids are getting in the digital world where they spend their time. They probably all play a role." [washingtonpost.com, 6/5/08 - Plugged In Online 6/24/08]
A study by University of California San Francisco researchers finds that almost half of the sexually active teenagers interviewed said they'd ever felt "used," guilty or regretful after engaging in sexual behavior. The findings were published Monday in the journal, Pediatrics. Dr. Sonya S. Brady and Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher authored the findings which were based on a series of surveys given to more than 600 students at public high schools, beginning in the ninth grade. The study, according to the researchers, suggests that parents should make a point to discuss with their kids about the potential negative effects of all types of sexual behavior. Of note: girls were twice as likely as boys to say they'd ever "felt bad about themselves" after engaging in sexual behavior, and three times more likely to say they'd felt used. [SOURCE: 3/1/07 - Reuters Health] Another study published in Pediatrics exploring teen sexuality found that half of teens who are having intercourse have felt used, guilty or regretful following sex. And about one-third of those who'd "only" had oral sex also reported negative feelings afterward. Researchers from the University of California San Francisco discovered that girls were twice as likely as boys to report that they "felt bad about themselves" and three times as likely to indicate they felt they'd been used following sex. [Reuters, 2/5/07 stats - Plugged In Online 2/13/07] The latest Youth Risk Behavior survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that a smaller percentage of high school students reported having sexual intercourse in 2005 than students who took the same survey in 1991 (46.8% vs. 54.1%, respectively). Today's teens are also less likely to have had sex with multiple partners than their 1991 counterparts (14.3% vs. 18.7%, respectively), with "multiple partners" being defined as sex with four or more different people during the person's lifetime. Condom usage among sexually active teens has increased in the last 15 years, rising from 46.2% to 62.8%. [Reuters, 8/11/06 - Plugged In Online 1/09/07]
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