Adolescent Sexuality
Sexuality is an important aspect of development during adolescence. The ability to identify and communicate with adolescent who may be at high risk of premature activity is important since sexual intercourse at an early age can have serious short and long-term consequences. An emphasis of confidentiality and an honest appraisal of implications of early sexual activity will enhance discussions about sexual issues with adolescents. Some parents are ill prepared for discussions about sexuality. Having conversations with their adolescent on sexuality may be difficult for them. Many adolescents claim both experience and confidence about sexual issues, they are often uncomfortable about discussing sexuality, both with adults and their peers. Pressure from peers may leave them wondering whether they are normal, and unhealthy. It becomes crucial that their family creates opportunities for conversations about sexuality with adolescents. Persons aged twelve to nineteen or twelve percent make up the United States population. Approximately fifty to sixty percent of adolescent girls and seventy to seventy-five percent of adolescent boys have had sexual intercourse by the time they graduate from high school (Cutrona & Troutman 1997). There are
Seldom addressed are the psychological and social risks of early sexual intercourse in adolescents. Sexual activity in early adolescence may reflect an imitation of adult models of sexual promiscuity. Because of the long period between exposure to human immunodefciency virus (HIV), and the people who are seropostive, the number of adolescents who are presumed to be HIV positive is higher than the number living with AIDS. Adolescents with AIDS live predominately in urban areas, and the percentages of youth with AIDS are minorities. Physical development is usually complete by the end of the middle stage. Adolescents who have intercourse at an early age do for several reasons including peer pressure, anger at parents, and sometimes curiosity. also a growing number of adolescents having sexual intercourse before the age of thirteen (Comerci & MacDonald1996). The media portrays sexual intercourse as a rite of passage to adulthood may conflict with advice from adults to postpone sexual intercourse. To be effective in this role they need to understand the developmental stages and tasks of adolescence. The ability to communicate openly with adolescent patients is the key to successful intervention. Persons aged thirteen to twenty-one represent one percent of all cases of acquired immuno-deficiecny syndrome (Comerci & MacDonald 1996). 1 million teenage pregnancies each year will end in abortion or miscarriage. The adolescent may become involve in premature sexual activity out of battles in family or out of an attempt to get the adults in his/her environment to be more concerned and involved. Early unsatisfactory sexual experiences, particularly among females, often setup patterns for repeated unsatisfying relationships that continue into adulthood.
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