Young People Remain Unaware of Sexual Consequences

One of the things I enjoy about being a family doctor is that I don’t have to limit my curiosity as it relates to new information of medical interest. I recently came upon a survey from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation of young people aged 13 to 24. This group of young Americans states that they are more concerned about sexual health issues over any other issues relating to health. Here are just a few of the key points:

• Young people feel great pressure to have sex. The majority say that while putting off sex may be a “nice idea,” “nobody really does.” The pressure to have sex is exceeded only by the pressure to drink.
• Many young people are still misinformed about the risks of unprotected sex. While 75% of sexually active adolescents engage in oral sex, one fifth are unaware that sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) can be transmitted through this activity.
• Three in five sexually active young people report that they or a partner have had a “pregnancy scare.”
• One in six of the young people surveyed said that sex without a condom once in a while is not a “big deal”.
• One in five said that they have had unprotected sex after drinking or taking drugs.
• Many young people remain reluctant to discuss sexual health issues with partners, family or health providers.
• Young people have serious misperceptions about STDs and HIV/AIDS. Half of those surveyed did not know that 25% of sexually active young people contract an STD, and one third were unaware that people their age account for 50% of all new HIV infections.
• Many young people think STDs and HIV/AIDS tests are a standard part of medical exams and may mistakenly assume they are infection-free if nothing shows up during a routine checkup.

The implications of this report are profound and stunning. I can think of few ways to more effectively derail the future of a young person than to have him or her develop an STD or experience an unwanted pregnancy. As adults, I don’t think we know how incredibly confusing our culture is to young people.

The media largely depicts sex without consequences. Much of the sex education available seems to assume that most teens are sexually active, which may be perceived as implicit permission to participate. Many adolescents are witness to adult relationships that diminish the credibility of adults to set examples for appropriate conduct and behavior.

Many young people feel alone and on their own, and in the search for intimacy and meaning in their lives they are very vulnerable to the allure of sex and the companionship it seems to give.

Finding a way to defer sex is a challenge to which there are no easy answers, but the beginning lies in learning what it means to have a loving relationship with another human being. I would define this as a form of “pre-sex education.”

When people believe they have innate value and are loved because of who they are – and not what they must do to receive affection – they will be much less likely to turn to sex as a form of personal validation. Ideally, parents will provide this validation for each of their children through unselfish love and support on a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis.

You can access the National Survey of Adolescents and Young Adults: Sexual Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Experiences online.

For more information on this topic, see the HealthLink article Close Parental Relationships Could Delay Adolescent Sex.

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