Sources Of Sexual Information Research Articles

The impact of Internet pornography on children and adolescents: A systematic review

ObjectivesYoung people's exposure to online pornographic material has increased in the past years. Its impact is a complex topic but an important issue due to growing concerns. Therefore, we reviewed the literature on Internet pornography consumption and its impact on children and adolescents. Furthermore, we examined young people's thoughts about pornography and their reasons for consumption. MethodWe performed a systematic literature search in the online databases ERIC, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and PSYNDEX for peer-reviewed articles in English, published between 2000 and 2022 and additionally identified secondary references. ResultsWe could determine associations between pornography consumption and demographic variables (e.g., age, gender), personal characteristics (e.g., [sexual] sensation seeking, sexual interest and experience, general risk behavior), environmental variables (e.g., peers, family), attitudes (e.g., gender role attitudes, permissive sexual attitudes), behavior (e.g. sexual risk behaviour, sexting) and sexual aggression (e.g., sexual cybervictimization, grooming). Moreover, we found that girls have a more negative attitude towards pornography than boys who have an ambivalent opinion on the subject. Most adolescents are aware that the majority of pornographic material is exaggerated and unrealistic. Furthermore, pornography is not only watched out of curiosity and for sexual arousal but also used as a source of sexual information, especially by minority groups. DiscussionMany effects that impair children's development have been documented. The results found in this review are often contradictory. Therefore, further replication studies are needed. In addition, we propose several preventive measures, e.g., sexual health education at schools for both heterosexuals and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) people.

Pandangan Terhadap Pendidikan Seksual Pada Remaja: Literature Review

Sex education holds significant importance for teenagers from an early age due to their vulnerability to misinformation about sex. This dissertation aims to (1) explore teenagers' perceptions of sex education and (2) identify the sources they rely on for obtaining information about sex. Furthermore, sex education plays a crucial role in enlightening teenagers about various harmful sexual behaviors, enabling them to steer clear of such practices. The research employs a literature review methodology to unearth diverse information on adolescent sex education. Firstly, understanding adolescents' perception of sex education is deemed essential and advantageous in addressing their developmental challenges during this transitional phase from childhood to adulthood. Adolescence entails significant biological, cognitive, and socio-emotional changes, making sex education a pertinent tool to assist them. Secondly, teenagers predominantly turn to mass media, encompassing print media like newspapers, magazines, and books, as well as electronic media such as television and gadgets, for their sexual education. The mass media, along with peers, serves as the primary source of sexual information and knowledge for teenagers, as opposed to receiving such education from family or school environments.

Where you learn about sex matters: Sexual information sources during adolescence and current sexual values and sexual behaviors in Latinx emerging adults.

Where you learn about sex matters: Sexual information sources during adolescence and current sexual values and sexual behaviors in Latinx emerging adults.

Explaining sexual self-care status and its predictor factors in women referring to healthcare centers of Sari, Iran, 2021

IntroductionWith the increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and chronic health problems along with population growth, one of the definitions that is expanding is the ability to adapt and self-manage against diseases and self-care. Although there are several studies to examine self-care in medical conditions, there are not enough concepts and data related to sexual self-care. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of explaining the status of sexual self-care and its predictor factors in women of reproductive age referring to healthcare centers.Material and methodsThis research was a cross-sectional study that was conducted on 400 women of reproductive age that referring to healthcare centers affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari in 2021. Data were collected using personal-obstetric characteristics and sexual self-care questionnaires in women of reproductive age. Pearson correlation coefficients, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance and multiple linear regression model were used to analyze the data.ResultsThe average total score of sexual self-care in reproductive age women participating in the research was 70.66% ± 12.52%. In addition, the prevention of women's cancers and the prevention of unintended pregnancies obtained the lowest and highest scores, respectively. Factors such as age, education, education related to medical sciences, history of HIV testing, history of HPV vaccination, source of sexual information, method of contraception and infection-related action in a person can affect the level of sexual self-care in women. Based on the final regression model, education related to medical sciences (B = 5.46, P = 0.035), family income (B = 5.58, P = 0.025), prevention method (B = 10.127, P = 0.000) and action related to infection in the person (B = 12.27, P = 0.047) were the final predictors of sexual self-care score in reproductive age women.ConclusionBased on the findings of the study, development of self-care promotion programs for reproductive aged women are necessary in all areas of reproductive health, with a priority for women’s cancer prevention, and focusing on promoting education and related economic assistance. The results of this study can be available to experts and policy makers to design programs to promote sexual self-care in women.

How Sexual Information Sources are Related to Emerging Adults' Sex-Positive Scripts and Sexual Communication.

Prior research suggests that parents, peers, and media are popular sources of sexual information and beliefs among emerging adults. Sex-positivity is an orientation toward sex that emphasizes open-minded beliefs and communication about varying sexual behaviors, preferences, and orientations. The current study investigated whether these sexual information sources were associated with emerging adults' endorsement of sex-positive and sexual orientation-related sexual scripts, and if these sources and scripts were associated with sexual communication among a sample of college students ages 18-22 (n = 341). Results indicate that learning from television was positively related to sex-positive sexual script endorsement, and that sex-positive scripts were associated with more positive sexual communication. An interaction also emerged between gender and learning from television on sex-positive script endorsement, and between gender and learning from social media on sexual orientation-related script endorsement. The implications of these findings are contextualized within emerging adults' sexual agency and behavior. Future directions of research are also discussed.

Premarital Sexual Behavior in Middle School Students: Family Conditions and Information Sources

Premarital sexual behavior is a teenage problem that gets a lot of attention globally. This study aims to determine premarital sexual behavior in adolescents in terms of family conditions and sources of sexuality information. Family conditions can be seen from several indicators, including based on caregivers, primary caregivers, place of residence and family integrity. The researcher developed a scale based on sexual behavior, specifically touching, kissing, making out (petting), and having sex (coitus). The respondents of this study were teenagers in Sikka Regency, totaling 348 people with an age range of 12–18 years. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics. This study found that premarital sexual behavior in adolescents in Sikka Regency was enough high at 82%. Other findings show that the highest premarital sexual behavior in adolescents occurs in adolescents who are cared for by grandparents, while the main caregivers who are most at risk are those whose children are cared for by other families, living in boarding houses with orphaned conditions. Another condition is that teenagers who are most vulnerable to sexual behavior are teenagers who get sexual information from the media.

Latinx adolescents’ perspectives on romantic relationships and sexuality: Exploring the roles of parents and siblings

Parents and siblings are critical sources of influence on adolescents’ ideas about and experiences with romantic relationships and sex. Using focus group data from 44 Latinx adolescents in the U.S. Midwest, we explored how family relationships shaped how Latinx teens learned about cultural norms and expectations concerning their romantic relationships and involvement in sexual behaviors. Parents expressed more protective behaviors toward their daughters than their sons, seemingly a result of gender-role expectations and cultural perceptions of family honor and respect. Mothers and siblings were sources of sexual information. Older siblings were seen to play protective roles, dependent on the quality of the sibling relationship.

Development of a Measure to Assess What Young Heterosexual Adults Say They Learn About Sex from Pornography

This study involved the development of two new measures to assess what some young heterosexual-identifying adults report learning about sex from pornography. Inventory items were generated from an extensive literature review and six qualitative focus group sessions with young adults (N = 54) aged 18–29 which explored how pornography could be used as a source of sexual information. A total of 135 items pertaining to sexual learning from pornography were produced, reviewed and categorized by a sample of young adults (n = 9), and finally reviewed for item and construct relevance by a panel of pornography, sex education and scale development experts (n = 6). Inventory items were administered to a sample of young adult university students (n = 1306). Two separate exploratory factor analyses were conducted for the female and male datasets. The final factors were reviewed by a panel of young adults = 8) to identify the theme of each factor. Both the SIPI-F and SIPI-M yielded three factors: (1) How to be a good sexual partner, (2) Body aesthetic, and (3) Sexual exploration. Results show that pornography provides information about a range of sex-related topics. Findings also show that more frequent female pornography users reported learning more about how to be a good sexual partner and body aesthetic than less frequent pornography users. The SIPI-F and SIPI-M can be useful for examining a variety of questions regarding the use of pornography as an informal source of sexual information and its correlates.

Changes in sexual behavior among high-school students over a 40-year period

The aim of this study was to investigate sexual behavior, contraceptive use, risk factors as well as sources of sex information among first-year high-school students in Sweden. Secondly, to assess differences between genders and study programs as well as changes over a 40-year period. A repeated cross-sectional survey was conducted in two cities. A questionnaire comprising 77 items was used. The study population consisted of 415 students (63.4% females). The median age of sexual intercourse was 15 years. In total, 37% had had sexual intercourse, compared to 56.3% in 2009 and 45% in 1999 (p < 0.001), and the proportion of students who had their first sexual intercourse was not influenced by gender. More students in vocational programs (46.3%), compared to theoretical (33.3%), had experience of at least one sexual intercourse (p = 0.019). The same extend of contraception use at first and latest intercourse was reported, compared to previous studies. Forty-nine percent were mostly informed about sex from the internet, while in previous years, magazines, family and youth clinics were the main information sources. Comparing over time, students were in general less sexually experienced and less engaged in non-penetrative sex and physical intimacy. These findings call for a new approach, when designing sex and relationship education and health-care counseling in adolescents.

Formal and informal sources of sexual information predict women’s sexual self-schema

Sexual self-schema (SSS) reflect an individual’s cognitive representations of oneself as a sexual person, and predict critical sexual health and wellbeing outcomes in women. Like other cognitive structures, SSS are thought to form through exposure to different kinds of information. The current exploratory study investigated associations between young women’s experiences with different sources of sexual information and their SSS valence and complexity. Respondents (n = 401) completed a validated SSS measure and ranked their perceived importance of different sources of sexual information as they were growing up. We found that the more important women perceived their friends as sources of sexual information, the more consistently their SSS was negative or aschematic (i.e., neither positive nor negative). In contrast, the more important they ranked partners, the more their SSS was positive or coschematic (i.e., both positive and negative). Finally, the more important women ranked religion, the more their SSS was consistently negative. Overall, preliminary associations suggest that friends, partners, and religion influence young women’s SSS valence and complexity. Further research may examine directionality and mechanistic causality of these associations, as well as how multiple varied sources of information interact to produce diverse SSS configurations.

CİNSEL SAĞLIK EĞİTİMİNİN ÇOCUK VE ERGEN YAŞAMINDAKI YERİ

The general purpose of planned sexual health education for children and young people is to provide them with sufficient information about sexual health according to their age range, to inform them about attitude-value and understanding, to gain relationship and interpersonal skills, to develop their necessary responsibilities. The protection, development and maintenance of sexual health depends on the awareness of individuals about sexuality and sexual health. Awareness begins in the family and is provided with comprehensive sexual health education in accordance with the needs in all periods of life such as preschool, school and after school. Sexual health education is not welcomed in developing countries. At the heart of this is the belief that sexual health education will encourage young people to have sexual intercourse. The development of sexual education is achieved in all age ranges with questions and answers that arise according to different age characteristics. Sexual health education is a very important factor for the psychological and physiological health of individuals in a society. Key words: sexual health education, sexual health education, reproductive health, abuse , parents, child abuse, Source of sexual information

Γνώσεις και Στάσεις Μαθητών/ριών Λυκείου ως προς το HIV/AIDS και Κύριες Πηγές Ενημέρωσης για Ζητήματα Σεξουαλικής Υγείας: Μια Πανελλήνια Συγχρονική Έρευνα

In Greece, a substantial percentage of adolescents start their sexual activity at an early age, leading to increased chance of exposure to various sex-related risks, such as HIV/AIDS. At the same time, sexual education is quite degraded in the Greek school, while little is known about the Greek family’s role in children’s sexual development. The current study of a stratified national sample of 4,090 second and third grade high-school students, with a mean age of 16.45 years, looked into: (a) students’ main sources of sexual information, (b) level of satisfaction from sexual education in family and in school, (c) knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and (d) attitudes towards people living with HIV. Friends (75%) and the internet (55%) were the most frequently reported sexual information sources, much lower being the mother (34%), father (23%) and school (18%). Gender affects the choice frequency of certain information sources, especially family. Satisfaction from sexual education in family was relatively high (60%), but much lower for school (30%). Students present a rather homogenous picture of moderate knowledge about HIV/AIDS and positive attitudes towards people living with HIV. Mother and the internet, as sexual information sources, are related to better knowledge and more positive attitudes towards HIV/AIDS, while the opposite is observed regarding father and TV. Children’s sexual education in Greece and the role of family and school need further examination and systematic interventions. Adolescents’ sexual education and behaviour remain a demoted area of investigation in Greece and more research and systematic interventions are needed.

Effects of Socialization on Adolescent Sexual Behaviors in Lao PDR

Adolescent risky sexual behaviors are closely associated with adverse health outcomes, and losing future educational and economic opportunities. Communication about sex-related topics with various people influences adolescent sexual behavior through sexual socialization. This study aimed to examine the effects of the sex-related information on sexual behavior by considering three important aspects which are multiple sources, messages, and frequency of communication. Data on this study were from the cross-sectional survey on integrated health of 493 adolescents aged 15–19 from four secondary schools in the Capital of Lao PDR. We used Firth’s penalized likelihood estimation to test hypotheses. The results showed that several messages and sources of sexual information have significant effects on adolescent sexual engagement. Among the six different contents of sex, receiving messages about contraception from media and doctor decreased the probability of having sex. Sibling’s information about pregnancy was significantly associated with having sex. Sexual messages from mother increased the likelihood of having sexual activity. Regardless of sexual contents, partner’s information was closely related to sexual engagement. However, none of the sexual messages from teacher had an impact on adolescents’ sexual behavior. This study provides practical implications to parents, teachers, and policymakers in Lao PDR as well as novel insights to research on sexual behaviors of adolescent.

Examining HIV and STIs Related Knowledge Among Male Adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Background: Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) is a major global cause of acute illness, long-term disability and death, with serious medical and psychological consequences. Knowledge and awareness about the transmission of sexual disease play an important role in the prevention of the disease. Very little is known about HIV and STI in adolescents and associated factors in Saudi Arabia. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between self-rated STI knowledge and HIV and STI knowledge test scores, as well as to investigate the association between adolescents’ HIV and STI knowledge and their demographic background and sexually related behaviors. Methods: A multi-stage cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire, recruiting 453 male adolescents (15 and 20 years) from private and public male high schools in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. Results: More than half (53.4%) of the adolescents reported their STI knowledge as excellent or good (42%). However, based on the total score scale of HIV and STI knowledge, 64.3% had a poor level of knowledge. The sexual information sources commonly cited were friends (70%) and internet (40.0%); and the least cited sources were fathers (16%) and mothers (15%). The logistic regression analysis revealed that adolescents’ father and mother education (&gt;12 years) were positively associated with adolescent’s HIV and STI knowledge level (OR= 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.4, p= 0.040) and (OR= 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2-2.8, p= 0.010). No significant association was found between adolescents’ HIV and STI knowledge and their sexual behaviors and attitudes. Conclusion: Findings suggest that a high proportion of male adolescents have poor HIV and STI related knowledge. Poor knowledge and reliance on potentially unreliable informational sources coupled with an over-estimate perception of STI expertise suggests that improvements in STI and HIV education should be addressed. Additional research is needed to help identify factors (beyond knowledge) associated with sexual behavior and attitudes that may increase the risk for STIs and HIV among adolescents.

Internet et sexualité chez les étudiants en médecine

ObjectivesWe proposed to evaluate certain aspects of the sexuality of medical students and to identify the characteristics of cybersexual addicts. Materials and methodsWe conducted a descriptive and analytical study among 220 medical students at the Faculty of Medicine of Sfax (Tunisia). We excluded married participants. We used an anonymous self-administered questionnaire composed of 58 items, including the “Internet Sex Screening Test” to assess the risk of sexual cyberaddiction. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (20th version). For frequency comparison, we used the Pearson's Chi2 test and the Fischer test. For the comparison of means, we used the Student's t-test and the Mann–Witney test. The significance level was set at 0.05. ResultsOne hundred and fifteen students were included. Their mean age was 22.23 years±2.34. Most of them were female (62.6 %), registered in the second cycle (72.2 %), had an urban origin (73.9 %) and lived in the parental home (79.1 %). Their socioeconomic level was medium (82.6 %) or high (17.4 %). The main sources of sexual information were: peers (68.7 %), Internet (59.1 %), television (47 %), teachers (36.5 %), books (23.5 %) and parents (14.8 %). The participants admitted having sexual fantasies and practicing masturbation in less than half of the cases (46.1 % and 43.5 %, respectively). The majority reported not having penetrating sexual intercourse (87.8 %) or superficial ones (73.9 %). The interest for cybersex began on average at the age of 17.26 years. The use of the Internet for sexual purposes involved two-thirds of the respondents. About half of them surfed on “sex” sites (54.8 %) or consulted sexology websites (49.6 %). The mean score of ISST was 2.88 and the risk of sexual cyberaddiction concerned 8.7 % of students. The features associated with a higher risk of sexual cyberaddiction were: male sex (P<0.001), earlier age of onset of sexual interest (P<0.001), preference for a society granting sexual freedom (P<0.001), the presence of sexual fantasies (P=0.001), the practice of masturbation (P=0.002) and the practice of superficial intercourse (P=0.003) or penetrating intercourse (P<0.001). ConclusionsCybersexuality is a common activity among medical students, but its problematic use is relatively rare. Further large-scale studies would be needed, especially to explore the motivations of cybersex users and the consequences of their behavior on their offline sexuality.

Condom Use, Pornography Consumption, and Perceptions of Pornography as Sexual Information in a Sample of Adult U.S Males

Using survey data from heterosexual adult men in the U.S., the present study has two objectives. The first objective is to provide an additional data point on the overall, bivariate association between frequency of pornography consumption and condom use. The second objective is to test the theoretical proposition that the association between using pornography more frequently and using condoms less frequently will be stronger when pornography is seen as functionally important and weaker when pornography is not seen as functionally important. At the bivariate level, more frequent pornography consumption was associated with using condoms less consistently. At the level of contingency, pornography use predicted condom nonuse only when men perceived that pornography was a primary source of information about sex. When men did not perceive that pornography was a primary source of sexual information, their rate of condom use was unrelated to how much or how little they consumed pornography. Collectively, these results are consistent with the public health position that pornography can be a risk-factor for condomless sex and the theoretical position that the socializing impact of sexual media depends on the pedagogical value attributed to that media.

Korean men’s interest in gonzo pornography and use of condoms

This brief report examined correlations between Korean men’s interest in gonzo pornography, perceptions of pornography’s functional value, and use of condoms. Neither a higher interest in gonzo pornography nor the perception that pornography is a source of sexual information were directly related to condom utilization. However, interest in gonzo pornography interacted with pornography perceptions to account for variability in condomless sex. Simple-slope tests indicated that there was no association between gonzo interest and condom use when men disagreed that pornography is a source of sexual information. Conversely, gonzo interest became increasingly associated with a lower likelihood of using condoms as agreement that pornography is a source of sexual information strengthened. This finding supports the hypothesis that consumers will be most likely to reference pornographic scripts to inform their own sexual behavior when they perceive pornography as a form of sexual pedagogy. It also supports calls for increased efforts at pornography literacy education.

Sexuality Education in the Digital Era: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Predictors of Online Sexual Information Seeking Among Youth

This study aimed to identify demographic, intrinsic and extrinsic predictors of youth’s online sexual information seeking. We used survey data from a large, representative sample of youth (12–24 years) in the Netherlands (N = 20,500). We focused on online sexual information seeking in general, and on two specific types of online sources: interactive user-generated content (UGC) and professional sexuality education content. Findings suggested that LGB youth and youth with more sexual knowledge were more likely to consult sexual information online, both via UGC and via professional websites about sex. Professional content specifically reaches female youth more than male youth, and is more likely to be consulted by youth with more sexual experience and sexual problems. Further, being male, having low sexual esteem and high sexual curiosity were linked to a higher use of interactive UGC. Finally, only communication with friends about sex, but not with parents or partners, nor the amount and appreciation of school-based sexuality education received, was related to a higher use of online sexual information seeking, notably expert sources of sexual information.

Individual differences in women's pornography use, perceptions of pornography, and unprotected sex: Preliminary results from South Korea

This report presents data on pornography consumption, perceptions of pornography, and condom use among a sample of 140 women in South Korea. Three key findings emerged. First, perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information was a more reliable correlate of less consistent condom use than the frequency with which pornography was viewed. Second, consuming pornography more frequently only predicted using condoms less frequently when pornography was perceived as a source of sexual information. Third, the interaction between the rate of pornography consumption and perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information maintained even after adjusting for pertinent demographic characteristics. Taken together, these findings suggest that while perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information in and of itself is a risk-factor for engaging in unprotected sex, the combination of regular pornography consumption and perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information is more problematic in terms of sexual risk than either variable in isolation. Sampling specifics and methodological singularity, however, point to a need for replication studies from other locales and using additional designs.

Relational monogamy, condomless sex, and perceptions of pornography as sexual information in an English sample.

Participants were drawn from an anonymous online survey of culture and sexuality. There was no association between perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information and condomless sex among participants who were in monogamous relationships. Conversely, perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information was associated with condomless sex among participants who were not in monogamous relationships. The results of this study further the research literature on pornography and condomless sex in two ways. First, they suggest that studies that do not take relational monogamy into account may falsely conclude that pornography and condomless sex are unrelated. Second, they suggest that in addition to assessing the use of pornography, studies should measure the degree to which pornography is seen as a means of sexual pedagogy.