Adolescent sexual behaviour: Healthy trends and two
disturbing findings
G.C. Hess, J. J. Green
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Over the last two decades we have gathered data via surveys
about adolescent sexual behaviour. In the first part of the presentation, a
summary of the trends over time will be presented. Overall, the adolescents have
reported more healthy sexual behaviour over time. Age of first intercourse has
remained constant; number of partners has remained the same; use of
contraception has increased dramatically. The findings from the Canadian
adolescents are remarkably similar to those reported by European adolescents.
There are two findings, however, which are disturbing to medical and sex
educators.
In the past oral sex, woman to man, was a sexual behaviour that
occurred after vaginal intercourse and was most often delayed until adolescents
were in a stable relationship in their late teens or older. Within the last five
years, there has been a marked increase in oral sex among young teens, aged
12-14. The findings will be presented including possible reasons for the change.
Some suggest the media coverage of Bill Clinton’s exploits is to blame. Others
think that all the medical education of the hazards of vaginal intercourse in
the Safer Sex campaigns have inadvertently led teens to believe that oral sex
without protection is safe.
The other disturbing finding is longer standing. In the 1970s an
American researcher, Sorenson, found that male adolescents tended to report
positive emotional response to first intercourse, while females reported feeling
negative emotions. In most other comparisons on sexual behaviour and attitudes,
we have found a convergence of male and female adolescent response since the
advent of the birth control pill in North America in the 1970s. However, in
every survey we have administered over the past two decades, we have
consistently found that males continue to report mostly positive emotions and
many females report negative emotion at first intercourse. Findings from several
surveys will be presented as well as our research in determining why the
differential exists.