Adolescent Sex Education Research Articles

Childhood and adolescent sexuality, Islam, and problematics of sex education: a call for re-examination

This paper offers a critical examination of the problematics of childhood and adolescent sexuality and sex education in an Islamic context. By exploring conceptions of (pre-marital) sexuality, childhood, and maturity/adulthood, it is suggested that: (i) ‘childhood’ and ‘sexuality’ do not coexist harmoniously in Islamic traditions since the latter is recognised as the exclusive realm of adulthood; and (ii) the twin concepts of ‘adolescence’ – as a distinct pre-adulthood life-stage – and ‘adolescent sexuality’ have scarcely been acknowledged in Islamic traditions. Sex education for children and adolescents is widely regarded by Muslims as ‘dangerous knowledge to the vulnerable’ that ‘awakens’ premature (i.e. premarital) sexuality and undermines Islamic identity. Such an understanding is partly rooted in a common (mis)interpretation of the Islamic emphasis on children's ‘deficient capacity’ and their ‘need for protection’, as well as in the invisibility of adolescent sexuality and agency in most Islamic traditions. The increasing overlap between ‘immaturity’ and ‘sexuality’ in the lives of contemporary young people has rendered childhood/adolescent sexuality and sex education a challenging issue for many Muslims in present times. This calls for an acknowledgement of childhood/adolescent sexuality and agency as crucial subjects of (re)examination, particularly in Islamic studies and with reference to young Muslims’ sex education needs.

Parents’ Beliefs Regarding Sex Education for Their Children in Southern Alabama Public Schools

This study investigated the attitudes of parents of public school children in a conservative southern U.S. metropolitan area concerning the incorporation of a variety of adolescent pregnancy prevention strategies taught in the public school curriculum. It also assessed how attitudes from parents living in high risk teen pregnancy zip codes compared to the attitudes from parents living in the larger community. A telephone survey included 402 randomly selected parents from Mobile County, Alabama and an additional 120 Mobile County parents who lived in specific regions with high rates of teen pregnancy (target group). When the participants from the entire group were asked if schools should teach sex education, almost 80 % responded affirmatively and 16.5 % responded negatively. There were statistically significant income, education, and race differences between the at-large and target groups and statistically significant differences in parents' attitudes about whether or not their children should be taught about abstinence and other methods for preventing adolescent pregnancy in public schools. More than three-fourths of both groups, however, supported an assortment of adolescent pregnancy prevention strategies, a finding that could belie statistical difference in opinions between the two groups. The results suggest there is strong parental support for an approach to sex education in Alabama public schools that extends beyond abstinence-only. Informing state public policy-makers of these research findings could result in a sustained investment in the implementation of evidence-based adolescent sex education programs appropriate for the adolescents served.

Adolescent sex education in India: Current perspectives.

Byline: Shajahan. Ismail, Ashika. Shajahan, T. Sathyanarayana Rao, Kevan. Wylie Sex education is defined as a broad program that aims to build a strong foundation for lifelong sexual health by acquiring information and attitudes, beliefs and values about one's identity, relationships, and intimacy. Sexual health is considered to be a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity as defined by the WHO.[sup][1] Psychological and sociocultural influences in the delivery of this education can increase the likelihood of effectiveness. Primarily, during adolescence (10–19 years) its provision is a crucial preventative tool, as it is the opportune time when young people experience developmental changes in their physiology and behavior as they enter adulthood.[sup][2] The complex emotional state in which youth find themselves in, stigma surrounding matters of a sexual nature in the Indian society and widespread gender inequality faced makes it increasingly challenging for adolescents to attain the knowledge they need. Through what is termed “family life education” (FLE), we can hope to teach the roles and responsibilities of males and females toward each other in all relationships in familial and social contexts, thus endowing the knowledge necessary to maintain sexual health as they navigate through the vulnerabilities of life.[sup][2] However, the existence of strong stigma and controversy handicaps any existing adolescent health programs, with them being incomprehensive and failing to fully address the main health issues adolescents are vulnerable to. These include several negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes,[sup][3] such as early and closely spaced pregnancy, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infection (STI), HIV/AIDS, and sexual violence, the rates of which are already increasing at a disturbing rate. Need for Sexual Education for Indian Adolescents The importance of delivery of sex education in a timely fashion to this significant demographic is emphasized by current statistics that show that almost one in every fifth person on the globe is an adolescent.[sup][4] They comprise 18% (1.2 billion) of world's population in 2009, with 88% living in developing countries. India has the largest adolescent population (243 million with more than 50% of the adolescent population living in urban areas). These figures indicate the importance of specifically addressing the healthcare needs of this considerable demographic, particularly for the developing countries such as India.[sup][5] Recent literature suggests that at this time they are highly likely to experiment and engage in the types of risky behaviors that have the potential to influence the quality of health and probability of survival in both short- and long-term over their lifetime. Therefore, meeting the needs of such a vulnerable group and overcoming existing shortcomings in the delivery of tailored primary preventative measures would significantly improve the survival and general health conditions, nutritional status, and sexual and reproductive health of the future Indian adult population.[sup][6] This encompasses issues such as early pregnancy, unsafe abortions, STIs including HIV, and sexual abuse and violence. The Current Scenario in Clinical Settings The sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents [sup][7],[8],[9],[10] in India are currently overlooked or are not understood by the Indian healthcare system. This could be owing to the lack of knowledge of scientific evidence along with the gross unpreparedness of the public health system. Healthcare professionals often lack the knowledge themselves that impacts upon imparting information to the adolescent population who seek it. Often comprehensive sexual histories are not taken, and sexual health is not openly discussed due to cultural and traditional norms in society. …

Sexuality and Relationship Education for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Hartman Davida Sexuality and Relationship Education for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder 272pp £19.99 Jessica Kingsley 9781849053853 1849053855

Sexuality and Relationship Education for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Hartman Davida Sexuality and Relationship Education for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder 272pp £19.99 Jessica Kingsley 9781849053853 1849053855

Invited commentary: broadening the evidence for adolescent sexual and reproductive health and education in the United States.

Scientific research has made major contributions to adolescent health by providing insights into factors that influence it and by defining ways to improve it. However, US adolescent sexual and reproductive health policies—particularly sexuality health education policies and programs—have not benefited from the full scope of scientific understanding. From 1998 to 2009, federal funding for sexuality education focused almost exclusively on ineffective and scientifically inaccurate abstinence-only-until-marriage (AOUM) programs. Since 2010, the largest source of federal funding for sexual health education has been the “tier 1” funding of the Office of Adolescent Health’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative. To be eligible for such funds, public and private entities must choose from a list of 35 programs that have been designated as “evidence-based” interventions (EBIs), determined based on their effectiveness at preventing teen pregnancies, reducing sexually transmitted infections, or reducing rates of sexual risk behaviors (i.e., sexual activity, contraceptive use, or number of partners). Although the transition from primarily AOUM to EBI is important progress, this definition of evidence is narrow and ignores factors known to play key roles in adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Important bodies of evidence are not treated as part of the essential evidence base, including research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth; gender; and economic inequalities and health. These bodies of evidence underscore the need for sexual health education to approach adolescent sexuality holistically, to be inclusive of all youth, and to address and mitigate the impact of structural inequities. We provide recommendations to improve US sexual health education and to strengthen the translation of science into programs and policy.

Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus Information: The Challenges of Hearing-Impaired Adolescents in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Adolescents with hearing impairments have similar sexual risk exposures as their hearing counterparts, yet their sexual information needs are often ignored. This paper examines the disparities in information about the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) infection among hearing and hearing-impaired adolescents in Port Harcourt, Nigeria using a comparative cross-sectional survey design. Results showed that awareness about HIV was significantly lower among hearing-impaired adolescents. Most of them did not even know how HIV was transmitted, while many believed that HIV was transmitted through mosquito bites or by eating together or sharing utensils. Only a few understood that unprotected sex was a major risk factor for HIV transmission. Similarly, most of them did not know how HIV could be prevented. Their HIV risk perception for was equally low as only a third had ever tested for HIV compared to two-thirds of their hearing counterparts. The results of the study suggests that significant differences in HIV information and knowledge exists between hearing and hearing-impaired adolescents in Nigeria. The gap is attributed to lack of sexuality and HIV-specific education for adolescents with disabilities, thus unduly exposing them to avoidable HIV risk. It is therefore crucial for adaptation of disability friendly learning strategies that forms an integral part of the Family Life and HIV and AIDS Education curriculum. Equally important is special training for sign language teachers in order to correctly interpret HIV and AIDS information to adolescents using the sign language grammar, syntaxes and communication concepts.

Brief report: parent-child sexuality communication and autism spectrum disorders.

While considerable research has focused on promoting independence and optimizing quality of life for adolescents and young adult with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sexual development and sexuality education have been largely neglected. Experts recommend that parents be the primary source of sex education for adolescents with ASD, and that sex education be tailored to a child's developmental level. Prior studies show that parents of youth with ASD are uncertain about how to best communicate about sex and which topics to discuss with their children. In the current study we administered an online survey to 190 parents of adolescents with ASD in order to better understand sexuality communication patterns between parents and adolescents with both low and high functioning ASD.

Medical technologies: flows, frictions and new socialities

While social scientists often highlight the way medical technologies mediate biomedical hegemony, this special issue focuses on the creative and often unexpected ways in which medical technologies are appropriated by diverse actors in homes, clinics and communities. The authors highlight key insights from twelve ethnographic case studies conducted in North and South America, Western Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The case studies focus on, among other issues, how sperm donors in Denmark, despite being subjugated to medical surveillance, experience the act of donating sperm as liberating; how sex workers in Indonesia turn to psychoactive painkillers to feel confident when approaching clients; why some anorexic patients in the United States resist prescribed antidepressant drugs; and how adolescent sex education workshops in Ecuador are appropriated by mothers to monitor their daughters and shame their ‘lying husbands’. Hardon and Moyer conclude that studies of medical technology need to be sensitive to the micro-dynamics of power, the specificities of local markets in which medical technologies generate value, the social and intergenerational relations in which they are embedded, and their intersections with class hierarchies.

Speculation: Financial Games and Derivative Worlding in a Transmedia Era

Previous articleNext article No AccessSpeculation: Financial Games and Derivative Worlding in a Transmedia EraN. Katherine Hayles, Patrick Jagoda, and Patrick LeMieuxN. Katherine Hayles Search for more articles by this author , Patrick Jagoda Search for more articles by this author , and Patrick LeMieux Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Critical Inquiry Volume 40, Number 3Spring 2014Comics & Media, edited by Hillary Chute and Patrick Jagoda Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/677374 Views: 387Total views on this site Citations: 6Citations are reported from Crossref © 2014 by The University of Chicago. All rights reservedPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Young-Nam Kim, Yejin Lee, Yong-Kun Suh, Dae-Young Kim The effects of gamification on tourist psychological outcomes: an application of letterboxing and external rewards to maze park, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 38, no.44 (Apr 2021): 341–355.https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2021.1921095Jesse Cunningham, Huon Curtis Noise as Information: Finance Economics as Second-Order Observation, Theory, Culture & Society 37, no.55 (May 2020): 51–74.https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276420915269Alida Bouris, Jenny Mancino, Patrick Jagoda, Brandon J. Hill, Melissa Gilliam Reinvigorating adolescent sexuality education through alternate reality games: the case of The Source, Sex Education 16, no.44 (Oct 2015): 353–367.https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2015.1101373Sarah Kareem Flimsy Materials, or What the Eighteenth Century Can Teach Us About Twenty-First Century Worlding Sarah Kareem, Critical Inquiry 42, no.22 (Dec 2015): 374–394.https://doi.org/10.1086/684358Patrick Jagoda Gaming the Humanities, differences 25, no.11 (May 2014): 189–215.https://doi.org/10.1215/10407391-2420045Hillary Chute and Patrick Jagoda Special Issue: Comics & Media, Critical Inquiry 40, no.33 (Jul 2015): 1–10.https://doi.org/10.1086/677316

Adolescent School-Based Sex Education: Using Developmental Neuroscience to Guide New Directions for Policy and Practice

While school-based sex education is one of the key program and policy solutions to improve adolescent sexual health outcomes, new efforts are needed to strengthen its overall impact. The cognitive, hormonal, emotional, and physical changes that accompany the onset of puberty and occur throughout the teenage years play a significant role in aspects of adolescent sexual risk taking. Thus, one approach to advancing current understanding of these complex issues is to leverage emerging knowledge in developmental affective neuroscience over the past 15 years, which suggests some potentially promising innovations that may inform new educational directions to improve adolescent sexual health. Exploring the conceptual and empirical advances in understanding adolescent brain development through the lens of the conceptualization, implementation, and evaluation of sex education, this article provides new perspectives that encourage the testing of innovative approaches to sex education policy and practice.

Web-based content strategy for Adolescent Sexuality Education - Focused on Sexuality Knowledge, Attitude and Web-based Need -

Web-based content strategy for Adolescent Sexuality Education - Focused on Sexuality Knowledge, Attitude and Web-based Need -

Contraception for adolescents in low and middle income countries: needs, barriers, and access.

Substantial numbers of adolescents experience the negative health consequences of early, unprotected sexual activity - unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortions, pregnancy-related mortality and morbidity and Sexually Transmitted Infections including Human Immunodeficiency Virus; as well as its social and economic costs. Improving access to and use of contraceptives – including condoms - needs to be a key component of an overall strategy to preventing these problems. This paper contains a review of research evidence and programmatic experiences on needs, barriers, and approaches to access and use of contraception by adolescents in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Although the sexual activity of adolescents (ages 10–19) varies markedly for boys versus girls and by region, a significant number of adolescents are sexually active; and this increases steadily from mid-to-late adolescence. Sexually active adolescents – both married and unmarried - need contraception. All adolescents in LMIC - especially unmarried ones - face a number of barriers in obtaining contraception and in using them correctly and consistently. Effective interventions to improve access and use of contraception include enacting and implementing laws and policies requiring the provision of sexuality education and contraceptive services for adolescents; building community support for the provision of contraception to adolescents, providing sexuality education within and outside school settings, and increasing the access to and use of contraception by making health services adolescent-friendly, integrating contraceptive services with other health services, and providing contraception through a variety of outlets. Emerging data suggest mobile phones and social media are promising means of increasing contraceptive use among adolescents.

Beyond controversies: sexuality education for adolescents in India.

Sexuality education for adolescents is one of the most controversial topics in the field of child health. In the past decade, policymakers in India have also struggled with the issue and there has been greater public discourse. However, policymaking and public discussions on adolescent sexuality education are frequently fueled by religious, social, and cultural values, while receiving scant scientific attention. To meet the needs of an expanding young population in India, scientific evidence for best practices must be kept at the core of policymaking in the context of sexuality education for adolescents.

Between Needs and Taboos: Sexuality and Reproductive Health Education for High School Students

Adolescents’ knowledge on sexual ity and reproductive health is still limited, although there have been initiatives to provide sexual and reproductive health education as indicated by previous studies. This paper examines reproductive health and sexuality education for adolescents that has been conducted by government and non-government at the high school level. This paper is based on a research using mixed methods of quantitative methods that are supported by qualitative. Quantitative methods are surveys conducted to 918 students and 128 high school teachers and supported by focus group discussions and in-depth interviews in eight cities in Indonesia. Focus group discussions conducted to civil society organizations, teacher forums, and youth groups, while in-depth interviews conducted to local government, parents, school committees, and religious/community leaders. The results show that the reproductive and sexual health education does not match the reality of sexual behavior and sexual risk faced by teenagers because: (1) reproductive health and sexuality education that is given to the high school level is more focused on the biological aspects alone, (2) There is still a notion that sexuality is a taboo to be given at school, (3) the sexuality education tends to emphasize the dangers of premarital sex from the moral and religious point of view, (4) the sexuality education has not looked at the importance of aspects of gender relations and rights of adolescents in adolescent reproductive and sexual health. The construction of adolescent sexuality and the discourse on sexuality education contribute to the content and methods of sexual ity and reproductive health education for adolescents. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Schools, Sex Education, and Support for Sexual Minorities: Exploring Historic Marginalization and Future Potential

School-based adolescent sexual health education in the United States has long served as a means of combating emotional and physical threats to the well-being of youth. However, this sex education has since its inception marginalized the experiences and health concerns of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students and contributed to school environments frequently hostile toward sexual minority groups. Growing concern for the welfare and educational experiences of sexual minorities suggests the need to improve school-based support for LGB students. This article explores this challenge by examining the relationship between sex education and sexual minorities. Through a review of the history of adolescent sexuality and sex education, and continuing barriers to support for LGB students, this article reveals how marginalization of LGB groups has manifested within schools and argues improving education with regards to LGB groups is necessary to develop equitable and safe educational environments. Suggestions for improving support of sexual minorities in schools and sex education are discussed.

Understanding parental views of adolescent sexuality and sex education in Ecuador: a qualitative study

Parents' contribution to sex education is increasingly receiving research attention. This growing interest stems from recognition of the influence that parental attitudes may have both on young people's sexual attitudes and behaviour, and on school-based sex education. Studies regarding parental attitudes towards sexuality are, however, still rare. The two main objectives of this study were to explore parental views about sexuality and to understand parental attitudes towards sex education. Four focus group discussions were conducted with parents from high schools in Cuenca, Ecuador. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that parents held a restricted view about sex education, grounded in traditional religious ideas about sexuality, which led parents to understand it as a morally and physically dangerous activity. Although parents expressed a willingness to make good quality sex education available to their children, they reported having insufficient personal resources to fulfil that objective. The results of this study provide important information about the need to develop and adapt sex education to each specific cultural context, thereby confirming the importance of knowing about the cultural traditions and religious beliefs that may form obstacles to effective sex education for young people in Ecuador.

P6.065 Sexual Health in Germany - Using Indicators as an Instrument to Describe, Plan and Evaluate. A Catalogue of Indicators of the German STI Society

BackgroundSexual health is an integral part of the personal well-being of human beings, as defined by the WHO. Thus, instruments to measure the respective needs, to design appropriate and effective...

ESTUDO SOBRE AS PRÁTICAS SEXUAIS PARA ALÉM DA DOR NA VISÃO DE PRATICANTES DE BDSM

Este estudo resultou em trabalho de conclusão de curso orientado pela psicóloga Ms. Vera Lúcia Vaccari. O acrônimo BDSM é formado por: Bondage, Disciplina, Dominação, Submissão, Sadismo e Masoquismo. São muitos os olhares sobre esse universo, advindos da psicologia e da psiquiatria, que, com maior ou menor ênfase, em geral consideram as práticas sob a perspectiva da patologização. Objetivos: Levantar as concepções relacionadas a prazer e dor em praticantes de sadomasoquismo. Materiais e métodos: A pesquisa adotou uma perspectiva qualitativa, tendo como base uma revisão bibliográfica e um trabalho de campo que contou com a coleta de depoimentos de praticantes de sadomasoquismo, levantando as particularidades dos entrevistados considerando as opiniões, crenças e significantes nas palavras dos participantes da pesquisa por meio de análise de conteúdo. Discussão: Os resultados apontam para uma diferença entre a visão psicológica e psiquiátrica e a dos praticantes, que não encaram o SM por uma perspectiva patologizante, mas sim como uma subcultura. Considerações finais: A psicologia, ao atuar com as diversidades, tem o papel de escutar o sujeito, com base no argumento de que há relação saudável dos praticantes com seus desejos com ênfase na exploração dos diversos modos de expressão sexual.

Sexual education for adolescents in freire’s perspective through culture circles

The aim of this study is to describe and analyze educational actions and promotion of sexual health activities for adolescents in an Elementary School in Florianopolis. It is a qualitative research, combined with the methodology of Paulo Freire, consisting of the investigation about themes raised by the adolescents (adolescence, sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and contraception) through ‘culture circles’. The survey was performed at second semester of 2011, and applied to 45 students. As a result, the educational actions focused at the adolescent health promotion, encouraged the autonomy of the group and clarified doubts about sexuality and the construction of personality, as well as practical issues of STDs, prejudice and contraception. The ‘culture circles’ were effective actions for sexual health education, which is consistent with the high approval rate of the activity by students.

Sex Education for Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes in Camagüey Province, Cuba

at the community level is indispensable for control of chronic non-communicable diseases and comprehensive patient care, with diabetes mellitus a case in point. The need is even more pronounced for type 1 diabetes, affecting children and ado- lescents. Families of diabetic adolescents naturally worry about vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases, which create risks for glycemic control and the adolescent's health. We felt com- pelled to explore the issue of sexuality in diabetes education for adolescents, because education can do more than help maintain metabolic control; it can contribute to keeping diabetic children and adolescents on a healthy developmental curve, when com- bined with the other pillars of diabetes management. Accordingly, we carried out an educational intervention to increase type 1 dia- betic adolescents' knowledge of sexuality and sexually transmit- ted infections. Participants were 20 adolescents in Camaguey Province's central clinic for type 1 diabetes patients. A six-session educational program was developed and implemented. Respons- es to a questionnaire before and after the program revealed that prior to the intervention only 3 of 20 participants (15%) demon- strated satisfactory knowledge of the material covered (≥70%), increasing to 20 (100%) after completion of the program.