INTRODUCTION
Current research indicates that fifty-three percent of females between the ages of 15 and 19 are sexually experienced. Teenagers at the end of the 1980s were more likely to be sexually active than teenagers at the beginning of the decade despite the advent of programs to encourage sexual abstinence during this same time period. Moreover, each year approximately one out of ten teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant. Given the high rates of teenage pregnancies, an important question that needs to be addressed is: What factors put teens at risk for teenage pregnancy? The purpose of this thesis is to review what is known about factors related to sexual activity among teenagers.
The researcher proposes that a risk-focused ecological perspective is useful for understanding teenage sexuality. Characteristics of the teens and of their families are predictive of which teens are sexually active. In addition, factors outside the family such as schools, work, and neighborhood characteristics can influence rates of sexual activity among teens. The ecological perspective is not only useful for thinking about the problem of teenage pregnancy, it is also useful for thinking about how the problem can be addressed. Statement of the Problem:
1. How could entertainment and media influence youth today on their perspective about sex? 2. How to help youth develop healthy attitudes about sex?
3. How can we help youth fight sexual immorality?
4. What are the factors that contribute to the sexual immorality among the youth today? Significance of Study:
The researcher wants to help her fellow youth to develop a good perspective about sex. She wants to help them overcome their weakness regarding sex by knowing the factors that contribute to high sexual immorality among the youth today. Definition of terms:
Physiological autonomy –is often use as the basis for determining moral responsibility and accountability for one’s actions, choices, mistakes, failures, etc. Factors that explain premarital sex among high school students: peer influences (example and pressure), religiosity (religious beliefs, public religious behavior, personal spirituality, family religiosity, and acceptance in a local congregation), pornography, and family influences (family structure, parental regulation, family connection, and psychological autonomy). THE INFLUENCE OF PEERS Peer pressure has a very strong influence on sexual behavior. Among the young women who had been pressured by their friends to participate in sexual activity, 36 percent had given in to the pressure. However, of the young women who had not been pressured, only one percent had participated in sex.
Because of the strong influence of peer pressure and the strong relationship of peer pressure to peer example, peer example did not emerge as a significant factor in the structural equation model. However, by itself peer example is a factor. Friends who have had sex, yet don’t pressure their friends, produced fairly strong bivariate correlations. If youth report that “most” or “all” of their friends have had sexual intercourse, then a sizable proportion of these youth have done so themselves. For example, among the young who reported that “none” of their friends had experienced sex, only 1 percent had engaged in intercourse themselves.
On the other hand, among the young women along the who indicated that “most” or “all” of their friends had experienced intercourse, 31 percent had participated. This suggests that when teens justify associating with friends who participate in inappropriate behavior by claiming, “They don’t try to get me to join them,” parents should be leery. Just the example of friends engaging in immoral behavior influences young people.
To assess the frequency of date rape among youth, we asked whether they had been “forced” to have sex. Five percent of the girls and, surprisingly, 5 percent of the boys replied “yes,” and those numbers increase to 9 percent (boys) and 21 percent (girls) when looking only at high school seniors. We did not define “force” for them; it is clear, however, from their responses to other survey questions and many anecdotal comments that the respondents viewed it as stronger than coaxing or pressure. While most did not think of the experience as actual rape, it was evident they viewed their involvement as being against their will. We were even more shocked by the degree that young men and women reported that they themselves forced someone to engage in sex. The percentages are small (5 percent of boys and 4 percent of girls), but it is still disturbing to see that some young people have forced others into immoral activities. THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION Although peers have a powerful influence on sexual behavior, perhaps the most important finding from this study is that other forces have significant effects as well.
One important predictor of premarital sexual behavior is religiosity. Religiosity is a composite of several dimensions—religious beliefs, public religious behavior, personal spirituality, acceptance in local congregations, and family religious practices. Although all of the dimensions of religiosity are related to premarital sex, some have considerably stronger influence than others. In the model, public religious behavior (attendance at Church activities) surfaced as the most important influence in helping youth stay morally strong. Private religious behavior (personal prayer, scripture reading, testimony, etc.) was also important. Although its direct effect on premarital sex was not as strong as other religious dimensions, family religiosity exerted a strong indirect effect through its influence on the other dimensions of religiosity.
THE INFLUENCE OF PORNOGRAPHY Pornography emerged as a statistically significant predictor of premarital sex for young men in the structural equation model. Given the explosion in accessibility of pornography via the Internet, this finding is worrisome. There is awful potential for pornography to lead young men to sexual sin.
Pornography was not a significant predictor of sexual activity for young women. This is welcome news, but it does not mean that young women are not affected by pornography. Little research has been conducted concerning the impact of pornography. It may be that young men who view pornography tend to treat young women as sex objects and become more aggressive in their sexual demands. Thus pornography may influence young men, who in turn influence the sexual behavior of young women. More research is needed in this area. It is clear, however, that pornography contributes to the pollution of our moral environment, and all youth, but particularly young women, are facing increasingly dangerous sexual pressures. THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY Some social scientists have argued that by the time children become teenagers, peer influences are primary in their lives and parents have little, if any, influence on the behavior of their children. Although family factors did not have a direct impact on premarital sex in our study, mother’s regulation showed a powerful indirect impact. Parents—particularly mothers—can indirectly affect their teens’ sexual behavior by influencing their choice of friends, strengthening their ability to withstand pressure, and enhancing their religiosity.
Of all the family factors we tested (structure, connection, regulation, autonomy), the only one to emerge as significant in the model was mother’s regulation. It is mothers who make the difference, and regulation is most important. In other words, the more a mother sets rules, monitors compliance, and dispenses appropriate discipline, the less her children will be negatively influenced by friends and the stronger their religiosity. These characteristics in turn lower their sexual activity. For young men, a mother’s regulation also reduces exposure to pornography, which lessens the likelihood of premarital sexual activity.
The power of a mother’s regulation is illustrated in young women, among whom sexual activity was reported by only 7 percent of those whose mothers set rules and monitored compliance. On the other hand, among the girls whose mothers were not involved in regulation, 23 percent had participated in sex.
Even though mother’s regulation was the only family factor to emerge in the model, other family characteristics were also statistically important. In addition to regulation, the other two aspects of the parent-child relationship—connection and autonomy—also produced significant bivariate correlations with sexual behavior.
Connection with parents was significantly related to lower sexual behavior for both boys and girls. Connection—positive emotional bonds of love—signals to youth that their parents care about them; in turn, youth more strongly want to please their parents. Also, effective regulation must be based on strong connection. Interestingly, in the study connection was more important to young women than to young men. Psychological autonomy was a much stronger predictor of premarital sex for young women than for young men in our study.
This type of autonomy does not deal with behavioral freedom, but rather with freedom to think one’s own thoughts and to be one’s own person. Parents withhold psychological autonomy by controlling or manipulating their child’s emotions and opinions; a lack of psychological autonomy often leads to low self-esteem. Previous research has found that low self-esteem is related to higher sexual activity for girls but not for boys.
Other family factors also produced interesting results. Single-parent families and maternal employment were both indirectly related to increased premarital sexual activity through their effects on the three parenting behaviors (regulation, connection, and autonomy). It appears that in these situations, parental regulation is compromised; the results of this study suggest that parents who find themselves in such circumstances should strive to have greater emotional connection with their children and should make more concerted efforts to be aware of and regulate their children’s activities. Three foundational directives for parents and youth leaders: 1) increase the spirituality of the youth, 2) fortify young women, and 3) strengthen family ties. These three things may seem overly simplistic, yet they have proven again and again to be powerful tools in helping youth remain morally clean in a morally corrupt world. We cannot isolate our youth from the world and all its evil influences, but we can indeed insulate them. INCREASE SPIRITUALLY With regards to premarital sex, public religious behavior has a powerful deterring effect. In previous research, we found that private religiosity and personal spirituality were even more significant. What all this seems to say is that religion makes a difference.
Public religious behaviors, such as attendance at church meetings and activities, are important in the spiritual development of our youth. Yet attendance without the fortification that comes with private religious behaviors, such as personal prayer, scripture study, and spiritual experiences, will have less power. Many of the youth recognized the power of religion in their lives and spoke of how it helped them resist moral temptations. From scores of similar statements, we can see that, in the home and at church, parents and leaders must create environments where youth can not only learn the truths of the gospel but also feel the Spirit in their lives.
We need to lead teenagers to come to know the Lord themselves through sincere, regular personal prayer and scripture reading and similar spirituality-promoting activities. Some of the things we teach and do with our children, like family home evening, are essential, but they are still somewhat external. These teachings and activities are actually a means to an end. The end we seek, and which has real power in the lives of young people, must be internal—their own testimony and personal guidance by the Spirit. “With all our doing, with all our leading, with all of our teaching,” Church president Gordon B. Hinckley has taught, “the most important thing we can do for those whom we lead is to cultivate in their hearts a living, vital, vibrant testimony and knowledge of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world.”
With our children being exposed to immoral temptations at younger and younger ages, it is vital that we help them obtain this strong spiritual foundation and personal testimony as early as possible. Parents, teachers, and leaders need to recognize that it is not merely “activity” that we seek in youth, but personal testimonies. Just as all that we do in the home should be focused on this ultimate objective, so too should it be the focus of lessons, activities, and programs at church. “Perhaps we should be less concerned with fun and more with faith,” President Hinckley has counseled youth leaders. FORTIFY YOUNG WOMEN Studies show that young women seemed to be far more vulnerable to the influence of peers than young men. They know in their heads that premarital sex is wrong, but when they face their “moments of truth,” too many succumb. Why?
These troubling results are not new. Most young women in the Church who become sexually active do so for nonsexual reasons. Unwed mother said that she liked being with someone. She likes getting attention from guys.
Another said that the feeling of having a man or a relationship and not wanting him to leave her is what made her have sex. She thought that giving him some sort of sexual pleasure would make him like me more and stay around longer.
Most of these girls were initiated into sex before age 16. It is somewhat surprising that they would have desires for male acceptance at such a young age. These young women, like so many others both in and out of the Church, confuse sex with affection and belonging. They engage in behaviors they know to be wrong not because of passion but because they are desperate for confirmation that they are attractive and acceptable or because they feel some obligation to please.
In the book Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher discusses the painful identity crisis that many young women experience as they enter adolescence. She reported that many of the girls she counsels in her practice engage in sex because they “didn’t know they had the right to make conscious decisions about sex” and they “didn’t know how to say no” or because they “desperately wanted acceptance and would do anything, including having sex with virtual strangers, to win approval.”
What, then, can we do to help our young women? What can be done to fortify them as they encounter the culture of sex and the pressure to please others? In addition to strengthening their spirituality, we can lead them to discover their self-worth, independent of a boyfriend, physical appearance, or popularity. We can teach them that true affection and acceptance are not related to premarital sex; in fact, sexual immorality destroys meaningful relationships.
We can teach them that they have no obligation to please another or to “be nice” if it means doing something immoral. Sometimes young women feel that having someone mad at them for saying no is a sin worse than immorality. We can help them understand that self-acceptance and approbation from God are far more desirable than the false validation that comes from casual sex. Saying no and really meaning it is evidence of personal power and self-confidence as well as an expression of integrity and virtue.
We can also teach young women to avoid people, places, and circumstances where they may not have control or may lack room to navigate around the temptations they encounter. To do this, parents must be more cognizant of what is going on in the lives of their daughters.
In addition to helping young women better understand their divine nature, parents and leaders can fortify young women by teaching these same principles to young men. We can better protect girls as we teach boys how to honor, respect, and properly treat women. We should teach young men to stand up for young women and to protect them from sexual dangers. They can privately warn a young woman that the attention she is receiving is from a young man with evil intentions. Having male friends who might be characterized as protectors would particularly benefit young women. President Hinckley has counseled youth to band together and strengthen one another, and when the time of temptation comes, you have someone to lean on, someone to bless you and give you strength when you need it.
STRENGTHEN FAMILY TIES Family plays an important role in whether teens become sexually active. The results from the study were very clear—parental regulation is vital. “Regulation” does not imply hidden cameras or private investigators. Rather, appropriate regulation involves parents and children agreeing on rules concerning, among other things, curfews, use of the family car, and association with members of the opposite sex. Rule setting is more effective if teens have some degree of ownership in the process. As one teen stated that it is pretty hard to rebel against family rules when you helped set them. Young people need the structure of such rules in their lives.
Effective regulation requires parents to be aware of what is going on in their children’s lives—to know with whom they associate and in what activities they participate. Parents need to spend time with their children and demonstrate loving concern.
Contrary to our expectations, the vast majority of the youth in our study praised appropriate discipline from their parents, and many actually wished for more. One young woman stated that Sometimes he wish his parents were stricter, he wish they were more like parents and less like my buddies. Sometimes he just needs someone to put their foot down and say, ‘This is the way it’s got to be.’
Adolescents more readily accept discipline if it is administered consistently and fairly, never arbitrarily. Many youth made comments like their parents should stick to their punishment. They always let them off the hook early. They think it would be more effective if they wouldn’t do that.
Youth are smart enough to understand that regulation, including discipline, is in large part a function of parents’ love for them. One student remembered, he often felt he was not cared about because he was never punished for anything, he was given no rules or chores. He felt like his parents didn’t care what he did, which in many cases they didn’t. He thought that they were too wrapped up in their own lives.
Most of all, regulation and discipline will have greater power in the lives the children if they feel emotionally connected to their parents. They want to feel loved, supported, praised, accepted, and important. Every expression of love the children, whether in word or deed, not only builds family connections, but also strengthens the power of regulation.
Psychological autonomy is vital for young people. When teens are denied this freedom at home, when they feel their parents do not respect them as individuals, they turn to others for direction and acceptance. Denying psychological autonomy reduces parental influence and gives peers inordinate power. The more the parents help teens to attain a healthy sense of emotional or psychological competence—the more parents respect their feelings, the more we lovingly guide them as they explore their thoughts and ideas—the greater will be our influence. The more parents control or manipulate our children’s thoughts and emotions, whether unwittingly or purposely, the less they will influence them in the long run.
Cultivating these three parent-child relationships—regulation, connection, and psychological autonomy—will yield rich dividends in helping youth not only to resist temptation but also to apply gospel principles in their lives.
Characteristics of sexually active youth
Various characteristics make adolescents more or less likely to engage in sexual activity during their teen years. The Add Health study reports that students are less likely to have an early onset of sexual intercourse if they appear “younger” than peers, are religious, make a pledge of sexual abstinence, or have a higher grade point average. Younger males are more likely than younger females to engage in sexual activity. At age 13, just over 1 in 10 males and only 1 in 50 females are sexually experienced. However, by age 20, there is less discrepancy in the numbers and about 3 in 4 females and 4 out of 5 males are sexually experienced. The onset of sexual activity increases with age, with males reporting earlier sexual activity. The proportion of teen males who report having sex is roughly equal to the number of sexually experienced females who are one year older. Adolescents in families with lower incomes (below $20,000) have sex four to six months earlier than those from higher income families.
Teens living in the South and in rural areas, and those whose parents receive welfare, are more likely to have sexual experience. Adolescents who perceive they will die young or who feel attracted to someone of the same sex have a higher risk of early (heterosexual) sexual intercourse. Other factors that place a teen at greater risk of sexual activity include working at a paid job more than 20 hours per week, having low grades, and appearing “older” than their peers. The impact of parents and family on sexual activity in youth A positive family relationship cannot be underestimated as a primary factor that protects adolescents from engaging in sexual behavior. The Add Health study found the more connected teenagers felt to their parents and family, the less likely they were to participate in early sexual activity. Youth who perceived that their parents disapproved of adolescent sex and adolescent contraceptive use were more likely to delay sexual debut. Also, parents can positively influence the sexual behavior choices of their children by being home at key points of the day, conveying high expectations for school, and instilling in their children a sense of belonging and self worth.
Communication between parents and children is vitally important. According to Paul Krouse, publisher of Who’s Who Among American High School Students, sexual promiscuity and high risk behavior can be reduced significantly if parents talk to their children about sex. Of students whose parents forbid them to have sex, 88 percent have never had sexual intercourse. In comparison, of those students who said their parents don’t care if they have sex, 52 percent have engaged in sex. Parents who clearly communicate to their child the importance of delaying sex can help reduce the risk that their child will engage in sexual activity. Adolescents who perceive their parents’ disapproving attitude towards early sex will be more likely to wait, thereby protecting against risks of STDs and pregnancy. SEXUALITY IN THE MEDIA
According to the new research children and teenagers who are exposed to sex through the media are more likely to engage in sexual activity than those who are not A study by an American team has found a direct relationship between the amount of sexual content children see and their level of sexual activity or their intentions to have sex in the future. The survey published in the Journal of Adolescent Health and online, claims that film, television, music and magazines may act as a kind of “sexual super peer” for teenagers seeking information about sex. It also suggests that the media have at least as great an influence on sexual behavior as religion or a child’s relationship with their parents and peers. More than 1,000 American children between the ages of 12 and 15 were asked to list the kinds of media they were exposed to regularly. They also answered questions about their health and levels of sexual activity, including whether they went on dates, kissed, had oral sex or full sex. Researchers then examined the sexual content of 264 items on the list, which included teen magazines, teen movies and TV programmes.
They looked for examples of romantic relationships, nudity, sexual innuendo, touching, kissing, puberty and sexual intercourse. The study found that films, TV programmes, music and magazines usually portrayed sex as “risk-free”. Sex was usually between unmarried couples and examples of using condoms or other contraception were “extremely rare”. The study concluded that the strong relationship between media and adolescents’ sexual expression may be due to the media’s role as an important source of sexual socialization for teenagers. Adolescence is a developmental period that is characterised by intense information-seeking, especially about adult roles and, given the lack of information about sexuality readily available to teens, adolescents may turn to the media for information about sexual norms. Although sexual content in the media can affect any age group, adolescents may be particularly vulnerable. Adolescents may be exposed to sexual content in the media during a developmental period when gender roles, sexual attitudes, and sexual behaviors are being shaped. This group may be particularly at risk because the cognitive skills that allow them to critically analyze messages from the media and to make decisions based on possible future outcomes are not fully developed. Analyses of broadcast media content indicate that, on average, teenaged viewers see 143 incidents of sexual behavior on network television at prime time each week, with portrayals of three to four times as many sexual activities occurring between unmarried partners as between spouses.
As much as 80% of all movies shown on network or cable television stations have sexual content. An analysis of music videos indicates that 60% portray sexual feelings and impulses, and substantial minority display provocative clothing and sexually suggestive body movements. Analyses of media content also show that sexual messages on television are almost universally presented in a positive light, with little discussion of the potential risks of unprotected sexual intercourse and few portrayals of adverse consequences. Survey data show that adolescents’ access to and use of media as sources of information are substantial. In a national study, high school students reported an average of 2.9 television sets, and 1.3 of 10 (13%) of American children reported living in homes with two or more televisions, 97% had videocassette recorders in their homes, 75% had access to cable television, and more than half had a television set in their own rooms. Further, more than 80% of adolescents report that their peers find out some or a lot about sex, drugs, and violence from television shows, movies, and other entertainment media. About 10% of teens acknowledge that they have learned more about the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) from these media sources than from parents, school personnel, clergy, or friends.
13 ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY AND CONSEQUENCES
Policy makers and health professionals have long been concerned about premarital sexual activity in the teenaged population and the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Research suggests that even among teenagers who have not experienced vaginal intercourse, substantial numbers engage in other intimate sexual behaviors that carry health risks. Among adolescent girls in the United States aged between 15 and 17 years, 75 per 1,000 become pregnant each year, a rate two to seven times higher than rates in other industrialized nations. Those adolescents (19% of the adolescent population) who report four or more lifetime sexual partners are at greater risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection. Overall, 25% of sexually active teenagers and 13% of all adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 become infected with sexually transmitted diseases each year, representing 3 million cases or about 25% of all new cases reported annually. Chapter 2
Related studies
Prevalence of sexual activity among youth Unfortunately, the long-term trends in sexual activity among youth until recently have not been promising – the rates of sexual activity have climbed steadily for over two decades, though the latest data gives us hope. About 20 percent more males and females are having sex today by the age of 18 than were in the early1970s. Very few young adolescents are sexually active,but as age increases so does the risk of engaging in sexual activity. About 10 percent of 12 year olds, 40 percent of 16 year olds, and about 80 percent of 19 year olds have had sex. However, despite these sobering statistics, the data must also be put into perspective in light of recent findings.* Although sexual activity among adolescents increased in the 1970s and 1980s. The trend in the 1990s is decreasing sexual activity according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS). Most recent data shows that in grades 9 through 12, the percentage of girls who have had sex dropped from 50.8 percent in 1990 to 47.7 percent in 1997. For boys, the figure dropped from 57.4 percent in 1991 to 48.8 percent in 1997.
It is interesting to note that this decrease in sexual activity has been accompanied by a decrease in the teen birth rate. Overall, about half of both boys and girls ages 15 to 19 have not had sex. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (known as Add Health), a federally sponsored study of more than 90,000 teens, found 83 percent of junior high and 50.7 percent of high school students reported they had never had sex. First participation – trends and implications
Adolescents who initiate health-risk behaviors such as sexual intercourse and substance abuse at an early age frequently have poorer health later in life, lower educational attainment and less economic productivity than their peers. Early initiation of these behaviors is associated with longer periods of risk taking in later adolescence and early adulthood, and also may be a marker for risk taking in adulthood. While reports show overall youth participation in sexual activity to be decreasing, levels of early participation in sexual intercourse is vital to an understanding of youth and risk behavior. The age difference between adolescent girls and their first sex partners is related to their own age at first sex; the younger a girl is when she has sex for the first time, the greater the average age difference between her and her partner. Additionally, the greater the age difference between an adolescent girl and her first sex partner, the more partners she is likely to have during her teen years.
And the greater the age difference between an adolescent girl and her first sex partner, the less likely she is to use contraception and the more likely she is to give birth while a teen. Non-voluntary first sex is particularly common among very young girls. Among girls who had sex before age 13, nearly a quarter (22 percent) reported that first sex was non-voluntary and an additional 49 percent categorized it as unwanted. These figures decline among those whose first sex occurred at later ages. Consequences of sexual activity
Teenage sexual activity brings with it serious consequences, including unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and emotional stress. Adolescents are at a higher risk for acquiring STDs for several reasons: they are more likely to have multiple partners, to engage in intercourse without contraception, and to select partners at higher risk. Also, younger women are biologically more susceptible to infections than older women. Every year three million teenagers, which is about one-fourth of teenagers who have had sex (at least once), acquire an STD. In fact, HIV infection is the sixth leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds.Thirty years ago there were only two common and easily treated STDs. Today there are more than 20 prevalent STDs. A report by the Institute of Medicine referred to STDs as a “hidden epidemic” because of people’s reluctance to discuss them and because many are without symptoms. Some STDs affecting many in the general population include chlamydia (4 million cases), gonorrhea (800,000 cases), human papillomavirus (500,000-1 million cases), genital herpes (200,000-500,000 cases), AIDS (80,000 cases) and hepatitis B (53,000 cases).1Another serious consequence of adolescent sexual activity is pregnancy. About one million teenage women become pregnant each year. Older teenagers who are poor or black are more likely to become pregnant than those who are young, white or have a higher income. The number of unintended teen pregnancies has been decreasing recently. The teen birthrate dropped from 62.1 births per 1,000 teens in 1991 to 56.9 births per 1,000 teens in 1995. However, the birthrate of those who were sexually experienced actually rose during the same time period, indicating that abstinence was the main contributor to the overall decrease.
Youth perceptions about sex
A recent survey of youth by the Kaiser Foundation found that slightly less than half of teens think they have about the same amount of sexual experience as their peers. More than one third (35 percent) feel they don’t have as much sexual experience as their friends. The report stated: “The data show they have more experience on average, than what they think is typical for their group of friends. Yet, they feel they’re ‘behind.’ Until they actually have sexual intercourse, many teens feel less experienced than their friends. Teen girls, even after they’ve had intercourse, are as apt to feel less experienced as they are to feel more experienced than their friends.” Despite continuing education and efforts to inform adolescents of the health risks and consequences of sexual activity, many sexually active teens do not consider themselves to be at risk for STDs or pregnancy. In the Who’s Who Among American High School Students survey, almost half of sexually active teens believe their personal risk of contracting AIDS is zero, while 37 percent of sexually active teens believe their chances are low. Out of students who have had more than five sex partners, 55 percent believe their chances of acquiring HIV/AIDS is low. Almost half of those surveyed believe their or their partner’s risk of pregnancy is low while about 14 percent believe there is no risk at all. Other research has revealed many of today’s teens support the decision to remain a virgin. Forty-four percent of teens (ages 13 to 18) say they have made a conscious decision to delay intercourse, and most (74 percent) say their peer group
considers this decision to be a positive choice.
