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2019-10-18T11:23:25Z

Created page with "Across a large national dataset, nearly 20,000 high school boys completed a school-based written questionnaire. The boys stated their age when they first had sexual intercours..."

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Across a large national dataset, nearly 20,000 high school boys completed a school-based written questionnaire. The boys stated their age when they first had sexual intercourse, without reference to the sex or age of the partner. 
 
Findings 
1. African-American (19 percent) boys were more likely than Hispanic (9 percent) or White (4 percent) boys to report early sex, with an 8 percent average for the total sample. The higher rate for black youths held regardless of sociodemographic variables. 
2. Boys whose mothers had at least a college degree were less likely to have sex before age 13. 
3. In terms of wanting intercourse, the responses were as follows: 
(a) Nine percent reported, "I really didn't want it to happen at the time." 
(b) Thirty-seven percent reported, "I had mixed feelings - part of me wanted it to happen at the time, and part of me didn't." 
(c) Fifty-five percent reported, "I really wanted it to happen at the time." 
4. These numbers were not significantly different from those who had first intercourse at age 13 or older. 
5. The first sexual partner was usually a friend. [...] 
 
Despite the youths saying they wanted the early sex they had, the authors [*] tend to view early sex as an "unhealthy sexual choice," because it has been associated by researchers with an increased prevalence of many negative physical (e.g., risky sexual behavior) and mental health (e.g., depression) outcomes. 
 
They also recognize that adolescent experts are not of one voice regarding the "best" biological or chronological age to transition from being a virgin to a nonvirgin, because youths vary immensely in their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development - it's possible for a 13-year-old to be more "ready" for sex than a 16-year-old. 
 
The study tells us nothing about the circumstances of the sex, or why a pre-teen boy had sex. The authors suggest that perhaps childhood sexual abuse was at play, or the boy had little parental engagement or guidance. I would suggest that another scenario is that the opportunity for sex simply presented itself as a realistic possibility; he went for it, and, now older, the boy says he wanted the experience - whether for pleasure, to prove something, for bragging rights, or some other idiosyncratic reason. [...] 
 
Critical Messages 
1. We need comprehensive sex education that is culturally informed and inclusive, beginning many years before puberty and before a youth's first sexual encounter. 
2. Many adults, professional or not, stigmatize and pathologize early sex, which likely causes more harm than good. 
3. If early sex is perceived as fulfilling the dictates of traditional masculinity, then we need to develop a more inclusive notion of masculinity. 
4. As the authors suggest, health education and counseling services should be readily available for young males who experience unwanted sexual encounters. 
5. Given that so many of the boys wanted sex at an early age, we need to ask about their views and their perspective about the encounter(s). As the authors write, "This finding underscores the need to include young men's views when identifying and interpreting their sexual and developmental trajectories." 
 
[*] Lindberg, L.D., Maddow-Zimet, I., & Marcell, A.V. (2019). Prevalence of sexual initiation before age 13 years among male adolescents and young adults in the United States. JAMA Pediatrics (April 08, 2019). doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0458 
 
source: Article 'Why Many Pre-Teen Boys Are Having Sex' by Ritch C. Savin-Williams (Ph.D.); www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sex-sexuality-and-romance/201905/why-many-pre-teen-boys-are-having-sex; Psychology Today; 22 May 2019

[[Category:Ritch C. Savin-Williams]]
[[Category:Laura Duberstein Lindberg]]
[[Category:Isaac Maddow-Zimet]]
[[Category:Arik V. Marcell]]
[[Category:Child sexuality]]
[[Category:Kinderseksualiteit]]
[[Category:Research]]
[[Category:Onderzoek]]

Why many pre-teen boys are having sex - Revision history

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