Childhood & Adolescent Sexuality

Research Data

•retrospective surveys (adults provide info about childhood)

•a few studies involve interviews with children

•many surveys (questionnaires & interviews) with adolescents

•no systematic, direct observations of children’s sexual behavior

Infancy (0 - 2 years)

•capacity for sexual response is present from birth (and maybe before)

•masturbation is normal, natural form of sexual expression

•by 2.5 to 3 years children know what gender they are and may have some awareness of genital differences between boys and girls

Early Childhood (3 - 7 years)

•increasing experience with masturbation

–learn that it is done in private

•some heterosexual play by age 4 or 5

–mostly exhibiting one’s own genitals, looking at those of others

–motivated primarily by curiosity

–part of general learning experiences of childhood

•by age 7, about 1/3 clearly understand genital differences

•many parents begin to restrict conversations about sexuality just as children become more aware & curious

–result: children turn to sex play & peers for information about sex

Preadolescence (8 - 12 years)

•masturbation to orgasm common

–boys learn from peers, girls from self-discovery

•little heterosexual behavior due to segregation, but do begin to hear & talk about intercourse

–first experience of sexual attraction to another is about 10 years old on average

this means that “adult sexual development” begins before puberty

–20% of both boys and girls have experienced heterosexual intercourse by age 14

•homosexual behavior is normal part of sexual development

–gender segregated social organization peaks at about age 12

–group exploration common for boys

•sexualization of children (especially girls)

–cultural & interpersonal sources, self-sexualization

–consequences

–solutions

Adolescence (13 -19 years)

•increased interest in sex due to body changes, testosterone levels, cultural emphasis on sex

•increase in incidence & frequency of masturbation, especially for boys

–both sexes begin to masturbate at earlier ages than in the past

oattitudes are more favorable/accepting

–during periods when they are having intercourse, frequency of masturbation decreases for boys and increases for girls

•about 10% experience homosexual behavior

–primarily with peers

–not predictive of adult orientation

–no increase in incidence of adolescent homosexual behavior over last 25 – 30 years

Premarital Intercourse

•about 3/4 of Americans engage in premarital intercourse

–increased incidence among women over last 40 years

•The increase in premarital sexual intercourse reflects two long-term trends.

–First, the age of menarche has been falling steadily since the beginning of the twentieth century. (current average is about 12.5 years)

–Second, the age at first marriage has been rising. (current median age is about 25 for women and 27 for men)

–The effect is a substantial lengthening of the time between biological readiness and marriage. (the gap is typically 12 to 14 years today)

•rates of adolescent intercourse peaked about 1990 & have been declining since

–about ½ of high school students engage in premarital intercourse by the time they graduate

•first intercourse occurring at younger age

–correlated with : living with 2 parents, less parental monitoring, more advanced physical maturity, more involvement in dating, more permissive attitudes about intercourse

–ethnic variation

•conflict between behavior & attitudes

•increasing incidence of other behaviors (oral sex)

•changing attitudes

–“permissiveness with affection”

•abstinence

–among 15-17 yr. old virgins, 74% have made a conscious decision to wait

–those most like to abstain had higher intelligence test scores

–“virginity pledge” ??

•serial monogamy

•nonrelational sex

–friends with benefits

–hooking up