The issue is of tremendous importance, not only because of the implications for the well-being of individuals throughout their lives. It is also important because faith in the health benefits of abstinence has been a guiding principle in official U.S. policy over the last decade.
As noted by Bogart and colleagues (2007, p. 290):
This belief in the benefits of abstinence was codified in Section 510 of Title V of the 1998 Social Security Act, which established an appropriations program for abstinence education (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 1998). To receive federal funds for abstinence education, such programs are required, for example, to teach youth that the benefits of abstinence include “social, psychological, and health gains,” and that “sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects.”
Of course, these assumptions need to be examined empirically (that is, scientifically) to justify their use as the basis for government policy that determines what young people are being taught in public schools. Yet, only a small number of studies have really even tackled this issue. Furthermore, the ones that have been conducted are limited in their value.
Here’s where an in-depth understanding of scientific methods is very useful. To be a good “consumer” of scientific research, you need to be familiar with the various ways of conducting psychological research. Otherwise, the wrong conclusions may be drawn about the meaning of results that are obtained. Most of the available studies are cross sectional, meaning that they have looked at differences across different people at one point in time.
Cross-sectional studies have in fact found that individuals who are abstinent in adolescence tend to have lower levels of psychological problems. That is, they have “fewer symptoms of depression, stress, conduct disorder, and substance abuse or dependence” (Bogart et al., 2007, p. 290).
The problem with studies based on a group of people at one point in time, of course, is that the research does not reveal the long-term effects of behavior on well-being. Moreover, it is not clear in such studies what causes what. It may be that adolescents who are suffering from stress, difficulties in life, or psychological problems are more likely to engage in sexual behavior, rather than sexual behavior leading to such problems. What are needed are longitudinal studies, those that keep track of the same individuals over a long period of time.
Even the few available longitudinal studies that have been conducted, however, suggest that abstinence during adolescence is associated with better adult mental health. The problem that Bogart and her colleagues have with these studies is that they did not examine factors occurring during the teenage years that are related to both mental health problems and adolescent sexual behavior at the same time. That is, certain conditions occur for teenagers that are known to be linked to both psychological problems during adolescence and a greater likelihood of engaging in early sexual behavior.
It is likely that someone who is troubled as an adolescent will be more likely to have psychological problems later in life as an adult. This person may also be more likely to have engaged in sexual behavior as an adolescent. Therefore, the link between teenage sexual behavior and later adult psychological problems may be due to their mutual connection to the factors that caused them to be troubled as adolescents. The early sexual behavior may not have actually caused the adult psychological problems. This confusion about what causes what in a scientific study is known as confounding. In this situation, it is impossible to know conclusively that one early factor (teenage sex) actually caused a later outcome (adult psychological problems) because of the possibility that some other factor (family problems as a teenager) caused the adult psychological problems.
The study by Bogart and her colleagues is a fine example of a high-quality longitudinal study. They examined a very large group of people (1,917 to be exact) over a 16-year period, starting in middle school at age 13. The final measure of mental health therefore was obtained when the study participants were 29 years old. Another strong point of the study is that an extremely high proportion of individuals examined at age 13 remained in the study at age 29. Beyond the advantage of assessing health over an extended time, factors known to be associated with psychological well-being were also evaluated in the study. These factors occurring during adolescence were (a) educational prospects for participants, (b) the quality of family bonding and parent-child relationships, and (c) the level of rebelliousness, unconventional attitudes and behavior, and substance abuse exhibited by the adolescents.
The first factor that was examined was educational prospects. Research has indicated that, especially for girls, the educational achievement of parents and the educational accomplishments and aspirations of the girls themselves, are associated with lower levels of early sexual behavior, childbirth, and marriage. Girls with greater educational prospect may delay getting involved in sex and relationships so that they can devote their energy and resources to advancing their professional goals. Furthermore, higher socioeconomic status is related to better mental health in adolescence, as well as in adulthood. Greater educational attainment is likewise associated with greater socioeconomic level.
The second factor evaluated in the study was the quality of the family environment and parent-child relationships. Features of family life such as stability in the home, good parent-child communication, and high quality parent-child relationships are linked to greater likelihood of abstinence. The quality of the family environment is additionally associated with greater psychological health and well-being.
The third factor was adolescent rebelliousness and unconventional attitudes and behavior, including substance abuse. These characteristics have been found to relate to both a greater likelihood of early sexual behavior and lower psychological health.
Because all of these factors are associated not only with early sexual behavior, but also with psychological well-being, any one of them could explain why sexual behavior correlates with mental health. It may be that early sexual behavior itself does not lead to poorer mental health. One of the three factors instead may cause both early sexual behavior and poorer mental health.
Sexual behavior was defined in the study as engaging in either penile-vaginal or penile-anal intercourse. Abstinence was defined as not engaging in either of these behaviors before the age of 19 years.
As for the results of the study, it was found that, for women, remaining abstinent prior to 19 was associated with greater mental health at age 29, as previous studies have also found. However, no such link was found for men.
The next step in the analyses was to see if the three other factors explained the relationship between abstinence and mental health for women. When the educational prospects of women as adolescents were taken into account, the association between abstinence and mental health disappeared (meaning, it was no longer statistically significant). Similarly, taking into account the quality of family environment as an adolescent, along with respondents’ rebelliousness, reduced the association between abstinence and mental health, but did not eliminate it completely. All three factors explained a substantial amount of the overlap between abstinence and mental health for women.
The finding that educational prospect eliminated the connection between abstinence and mental health suggests that girls’ educational potential leads to both abstinence and to later mental health, rather than abstinence causing later mental health. Bogart and her colleagues (2007) conclude that “girls who are uninvolved in school, have weak family backgrounds, and exhibit unconventionality may have poor adult mental health, whether or not they abstain from sex in adolescence.”
The results of this high-quality study strongly indicate that adolescent sexual behavior is unrelated to later mental health for men. Furthermore, adolescent sexual behavior is not likely a cause of poorer psychological health for women. Rather, disadvantages and risks associated with the early environment lead to later problems in psychological adjustment. Bogart and her colleagues suggest that programs designed to help adolescents should focus on these background and environmental factors rather than specifically on sexual behavior.
Bogart, L. M., Collins, R. L., Ellickson, P. L., & Klein, D. J. (2007). Association of sexual abstinence in adolescence with mental health in adulthood. Journal of Sex Research, 44, 290-298.
U.S. Department of Heath & Human Services. (1998). Understanding title V of the Social Security Act. Retrieved August 14, 2006, from ftp://ftp.hrsa.gov/mchb/titlevtoday/UnderstandingTitleV.pdf
22 comments:
Abstinence is certainly a wonderful idea when you are an adolescent because sex is just one more thing to worry about. Who wants to waste their youth on pregnancy scares and STD infections or AIDS? These stress factors are sure to cause some mental abnormalities in most teenagers, and most adults for that matter! But, as we grow older, and that abstinence frame of mind sticks, will it then begin to truly cause mental health problems? When exactly is an individual “supposed” to become sexually active? In the 20th century, some women were marrying at age thirteen or fourteen and having children at age sixteen. When, precisely, is a child considered an adult? Is it fair to stamp the age of eighteen on someone who is mature and stable enough to have sex, marry, or bear children? What if an individual stays true to beliefs of not becoming sexually involved until marriage, and that individual never marries, will abstinence then become a mental health concern for that person? These are all realistic questions that need realistic answers. Sexual activity is very complex and it takes more than societal issues to get to the root of it.
I also think that we need to look at the study in terms of oral sex. If a child remains abstinent throughout their youth, but partakes in oral sex, how different would the outcome be? Would mental health still be increased, or would it decrease a little? I would also like to see specific results of different ethnicities to see if the outcome would be similar in a variety of races.
All of our biological clocks tick in different patterns, therefore what may be mentally stable for one child, could possibly cause instability in another. As a result, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what the culprit of the mental problem might be as we grow older.
This was an interesting study; I agree with Amanda, abstinence is a "wonderful idea." I think that early abstinence could promote later mental health. Once you start having sex you open yourself up to another reason to be stressed out. People worry about their body image, if they were good enough, catch a STD, being pregnant, etc… Young people should abstain from having sex and focus on school, which is stressful enough on its own. I know, it is easier said than done, because you start dating and fall in love or think you are in love. If I had it to do all over again I think I would have waited until I got married. Being intimate with someone gets all those emotions and feelings all stirred up. I don’t think that is something you should share with everyone. On the other hand, people handle situation differently for example just because Jane has mental health issues because she had sex at an early age doesn’t mean Mary will. As the article mentioned “adolescent sexual behavior is unrelated to later mental health for men” which shows that men and women react differently to having sex at an early age. I guess, I’m just not convinced that abstinence will promote later mental health.
I agree 100% with the study. We all remember in High School there was always a group of “loose girls” or “crazy girls”. We all knew these girls were having sex, drinking, and doing drugs. In my mind their bad behavior was due to their home environment. It is hard to raise a good child with very little positive parental influence. My daughters often come home from school and ask why some kids never turn in homework or why they are dirty and don’t have their hair combed. My instant response is it’s not their fault, they don’t have a parent who cares for them the way I care for you. It is sad to say, but you can almost point out with 100% certainty in elementary school what kids will be “trouble” and which kids will be successful in life. A strong parental hand to guide a child is priceless in terms of their emotional well being. A child who is emotionally stable and secure in their home life is a child who is less likely to be involved in destructive behavior in their youth. Open communication with a parent leads to responsible children who to some extent want to please their parents. And if you were raised in a “good home” that would mean not to be sexually active or experiment with drugs and alcohol. As for the part of the study that says men are more likely to have good mental health whether they were sexually active in their teens as opposed to girls is understandable. It is more socially acceptable for men to have many sexual relationships. They would be considered studs; women on the other hand would be considered whores. And so in that respect a woman’s mental health could deteriorate due to social pressures and what is considered socially appropriate.
While abstinence seems like a great idea, it is important to note that these studies suggesting that early abstinence leads to better mental health later look at only a few factors. It does not appear as if Bogart’s study (although the most well-rounded), which included the three factors of educational prospects, family stability, and rebelliousness, included factors such as socioeconomic status or ethnicity. Poverty is highly correlated with early sexual behavior. It must be considered, then, that poverty might be a factor in later mental health. With the financial stress, and limited healthcare resources, poor mental health could possibly be attributed to effects of poverty and not early sexual behavior. Ethnicity and cultural expectations may also play a role in not just sexual behavior, but later mental health. Members of the non-dominant group may have internalized some feelings of oppression, and as such experience mental health issues. It is crucial to remember that many, many things affect one’s behavior and mental health. It is difficult to determine the multiple causes, let alone one specific “cause” (such as early abstinence), that can be held up as the sole reason for certain behaviors. Bogart’s suggestion of including background and environmental factors would be a step in the right direction.
As the results of the study show I believe that no, early abstinence is not the only factor in promoting later mental health. The article made perfect sense to me. The article shows that there are a vast array of other factors that come into play when discussing sexual behavior and mental health. I liked the comment in the article when the government document was quoted for saying staying away from sex has social, psychological and health gains. I agree with that for the most part. In my experience, I have seen that when people choose to have sex it is like “playing with fire”. Sex is a powerful phenomenon and it can be used for good and bad purposes and even have negative consequences. Some of the good things with sex are quite obvious like having kids and pleasure with a spouse. However, sex can lead to early pregnancy or STD’s or people getting their feelings hurt or feeling bad about themselves. These are fundamentals of life but sex is such a powerful force that it messes people’s lives up and causes self destructive things to happen to them.
I think that conducting studies and experiments are a good idea for this topic. However, I disagree with the article title like I stated before. The results seem like good quality results to me. I liked the aspect of longitudinal long term effects of studying people as opposed to cross sectional results for short term studies. In conclusion, I don’t think people know what causes what and what leads to what in life. No one can be 100% sure. No one is all knowing where they can say they understand this issue and everything it encompasses. I liked the aspect of measuring sexual behavior in response to family background, educational experience, and rebelliousness and bad behavior too. This seemed like relevant aspects of a person’s life leading to positive or negative mental health and sexuality.
I strongly believe that people need to be educated about sexuality starting as early as 5th grade. I don't think that early abstinence will help mental health later on, unless individuals are not aware of the potential consequences of their actions. Preaching adolescence, I feel is not going to get anyone anywhere. Adolescents especially are going to do what they want to do, and telling them to abstain from something that they are curious about, I don't feel is the right approach. Like I said before, children need to be educated about why people engage in sexual activities and need to make up their own minds. If the individual feels they are ready to take their relationship into the next step, it is their decision. Not one of their peers.
Sexuality is an expression of an individual. I can understand the stresses of having sex, ending up pregnant or with an std, but if the individual is taking precautions and has an open relationship with their parents or someone older, who they are comfortable talking out their concerns with, then there will not be any interference with their mental health later on.
I believe we need to focus on other items which contribut to mental health later on including bullying, drugs, and alcohol. These item are much more detremental to an individual than engaging in sexual activities. How many people have "accidently" killed themselves while having sex? Yet, we hear about young adults in the news binge drinking, getting alcohol poisoning, overdosing, and being beaten to death. I feel we need to concentrate on more important things than promoting abstinence to maintain mental health.
I greatly respect those that can stay abstinent until they are married. These days that is wonderful to hold off that long. As for those who don't hold onto that chastity belt, that is okay also as long as you're being responsible. I do believe that being sexually active at a young age can have an effect on your mental health later on in life but I think that it would be more of an extreme case than just having consensual sex. There are those that have be tramatized maybe by sexual abuse, those that become prostitutes, those who already have mental issues, and those that become addicted to sex. I believe that these are the more important things to look at when comparing sex and mental health. There are people that only have one partner from the time they are fifteen until they die. Most of those people seem to be okay. Then there are those that have a hundred sexual partners and most of them seem to be okay also. I think that people need to research genetics and things that can be hereditary before saying that sex at a young age can cause poor mental health as an adult.
When I read the title of this post, I thought this could not be true. I do not think early abstinence would promote greater mental health down the road, so the results of this study were not surprising to me. I did like the way the post showed how other factors like educational prospects, family environment, and adolescent rebelliousness could be the reason for earlier sexual behavior and later mental health problems. It makes sense that these factors would cause young kids to engage in earlier sexual behaviors and also have mental health problems down the road. It would be easy to relate the mental health problems to the lack of abstinence. I am not saying that abstinence is overrated or anything like that. It is a good idea for teenagers to follow. Kids that age should wait until they are mature enough to engage in sexual behaviors. Abstinence should not be given credit for promoting good mental health later in life though. There are too many other factors involved to do this. Abstinence is still something to advocate to teenagers through sex education and parental guidance though. It certainly will not hurt them in the long run, but it also should not be responsible for good mental health later in life.
I personally do not believe that sexual behavior, at any point in a person’s life, can or will have harmful effects on the individual’s psychology. The studies used to keep government funding for abstinence programs coming are mostly not done over a long period of time and also do not clearly distinguish between the cause and effect issue of adolescence sexual activity. Even factors such as substance abuse are found to be correlated to greater chance of early sexual behavior as well as a person’s psychological health. In my opinion it is trivial to relate sexual behavior with lower mental or physical health at all; the only thing that might be possible is that they have a common cause, and are therefore both just a reaction to something else, instead of a reaction to each other. I still do think that it is important to educate children about sexuality and risks early on in their life; however, I think it is not necessary to use scare-tactics and studies claiming that sexuality is directly related to mental disorders to prevent adolescences’ sexual behavior.
I definitely think that abstinence is a good idea. A great idea, theoretically...however, the majority of people do not wait to have sex. Of the people that I hung out with in high school only, one of them is still a virgin. As far as I know, none of them have any psychological issues. So, I personally do not believe that because a person has sexual intercourse that person is going to be more adept for depression, and so on. Factors like family relationships and money worries, I think those are more of the factors that could cause psychological disorders then not remaining a virgin.
Early abstinence can be correlated to either peer influence or the physical development of the individual. If an adolescent had developed early and their secondary sexual reproductive organs are quite evident; such as larger breasts or wider hips on a female or facial hair accompanied by growth in height, this is noticed by the other peers. When a girl reaches puberty and is faced with sexual advances from either same age or older boys, she is now developed a new self-schema. This new schema involves sexuality now. Before an encounter with any boy with a sexual nature, she thought of herself as a daughter, sister, and friend. Since this event, the consideration of sex in her life, there are new responsibilities that she is encountering. This is very emotional and life-altering. I think that being a girl is very different than a boy through this process.
Later mental health is definitely influenced by an earlier mental state of health. When, for example, a girl is given sexual advances as a 14 year old, she has two choices to respond to; one, she can either accept and with this, can be taking a risk with STD's or pregnancy, or two, saying no and declining and facing the consequences socially with the boy. If she did agree and have sex as an early adolescent, she would have to face the consequences of possibly getting pregnant, and most likely at that age, not sufficient protection was taken. If she did not agree, the stress of being pregnant as a young teenager would be absent and the girl would be able to focus on her 'childhood'.
When a young adult is sexually active, most likely they are also emotionally attached to someone whom has taken their virginity or an older partner whom shows direction. This tends to make this person dependent on others, rather than abstinent adolescents whom can be more indpendent.
Independent versus dependent individuals are more likely to go directly to college instead of into the workforce after high school. Mentally challenging occupations are too much for individuals deciding to further their education and future. Depressive people who are feeling uncontrol of their lives quite possibly could be those who feel nothing until someone shows some sort of attention sexually.
I believe that when an adolescent is sexually active and relies on an other individual, such as a peer, to make them feel good; this is when a negative attachment is formed that can be traced back to early sexual activity.
This article definitely made a lot of sense to me. Abstinence does seem to be a good idea, especially in adolescent years. Adolescents have enough to worry about, without having to worry about STDs, pregnancies, and vicious rumors about them in school. I could see that adolescent abstinence could lead to later mental health, because having less to worry about as an adolescent would create less stress and worry in their lives, allowing them to move into less stressful lives as adults.
I also think the idea brought up about how early sexual behavior relates to early "problem-child" behaviors definitely rings true. Troubled children are much more likely to engage in drinking, drugs, and sexual activity. These troubling behaviors would also most likely follow them into adulthood, which would once again prove that early abstinence can promote later mental health.
It would be interesting to observe a Longitudinal study regarding abstinence and how ones mental health may be positively affected later in life. But, given the real lack of empirical evidence in my opinion abstinence cannot be linked to greater mental health because of all the numerous variable that must be considered. A young person who abstains may do so for reasons because of religious influences or negative experiences from early childhood. This type of study would need to include intensive and personal information which is very difficult to obtain due to the sensitive to the issue. Also, what if the abstinence is linked to a very healthy person, but experiences negative experiences within society because of their decision to abstain from sex. I know of young people in their early 20's who are abstaining and it is due to the challenges of society and how they do not fit in in terms of appearances or sexual orientation. Ones mental health is such a intricate issue, and attaching early abstinence seems to me as an issue which is not easily established.
From what this blog states, one of the major premises of Abstince only education is that it will cause later problems with mental health is at best flawed and at worst a lie. I can see the ideological rationale in abstinence only education. It is wise to wait as long as possible before engaging in sexual intercourse. There are many risks to having sex. There are many risks to crossing the street as well.
There are two problems with making Abstinence only education policy. Educating fear is a poor way to manage social behavior. Educating fear based on bad science is a lie. That is unethical and undermines any ethical motives underlying the message of waiting. The second problem is one of money. Federal tax dollars are being spent on abstince programs that are presenting information that is a nontruth. Should the policy of the United States Government be promoting programs that are based on flawed information when other options are available that are not based on flawed information? Is this a cost effective way to delay intitial intercourse, reduse unwanted pregnancy, or prevent disease?
This article was interesting in many respects. I found it particularly interesting that when no variables (such as professional goals, family environment, or rebellious attitudes) were controlled for, there was a significant difference between abstinent and non-abstinent young women. However, this difference was not seen at all for young men. Not only did controlling for each of the above variables suppress the level of significance when examining women, but when controlling for professional development/educational prospects, the significance completely disappeared.
This is crucial when evaluating sex education programs in the United States. If sex education programs are in fact teaching that delaying sexual contact until marriage is psychologically beneficial, then they should certainly include other factors, such as having a positive relationship with parents, having educational or career goals, and avoiding substance abuse. The last factor is already included in many adolescent health classes, but from my knowledge, few instructors link substance abuse to poor mental health without explaining any confounds. Sex education instructors need to explain that abstinence in and of itself cannot predict later psychological health, but factors associated with remaining abstinent—such as educational goals, parental relationships, and substance abuse—can affect later life outcomes and can often coexist with early sexual behavior.
This study really impressed me, not only due to the low attrition rate but also due to the immense amount of effort that it entailed. A 16-year period is quite a while to remain focused on one particular study, and Bogart and colleagues should be commended for their efforts. In addition, it is important to note that such longitudinal studies should be encouraged; cross-sectional data do not offer the same insight that longitudinal data offer. In my opinion, the government should have a vested interest in examining such studies. Perhaps in the future, we will see more research grants focusing on this kind of research!
Abstinence education is important for individuals experiencing the hormonal and social changes that come with puberty. Certain aspects of their body are changing, and they now feel an attraction that they did not notice before. However, what may be interesting to examine is a comparison between abstinence education and comprehensive sex education. While sex is a very important decision to make between a couple, knowing how to properly engage in sexual behavior is also important for one's psychological and social health. Knowing what one can do to protect themselves in case they ever find themselves in a situation that can lead to sexual intercourse is extremely important; while abstinence education seeks to eliminate this problem by removing the environment in which sexual activity may occur, comprehensive education may act as a failsafe for those individuals who do not adhere to its teachings. What teenagers learn in the classroom and what they do in their own free time are two very different things; social pressures from peers and the media may encourage sexual behavior as a form of status symbol, or perhaps as a cementing agent for 'true love'. Misconceptions such as these should be corrected, but in the meantime comprehensive sex education can stand in so that a misunderstanding does not turn into an STI or an unwanted pregnancy.
Apparently, common knowledge is that abstinence during adolescents promotes better mental health in later years. This article examines the validity of that idea. It takes a great perspective that I have never thought of before, in that it poses the question if abstinence promotes mental health, or if those in good mental health are more likely to remain abstinent. Then it takes into account several factors surrounding the issue because according to Hill troubled adolescents are more likely to have poorer mental health later in life. Also, troubled adolescents are more likely to engage in sexual activity such as penal-vaginal and penal-anal intercourse. I think the main concept I get from this article is that people are deep. There is so much that goes into understanding a person and their behaviors. Do people engage in early sexual activity because of their circumstances, or does the sexual activity lead to their circumstances? Are people in better health because of waiting for sex or do people wait to engage in sexual activity because they have better mental health? Psychology is a deep and broad discipline that is quite an undertaking that continually boggles my mind.
Does Early Abstinence Promote Later Mental Health?
The question really is do psychologically impaired youth engage in sexual activity at a younger age than non-psychologically impaired youth. The notion that sex is the cause of later mental health issues cannot be valid. The logical explanation is that the mental deficiencies exist within youth causing them to engage in sexual activity at a younger age. This is pointed out by the study done by Bogart. I reviewed five empirical studies of the relationship between childhood sexual trauma and prostitution. What was startling was the lack of knowledge in this area. It appears from my research that sexual precocity is detrimental to youth in various ways that manifest as negative adult behaviors. The problem that with this conclusion is what came first, the sexual precocity or psychological damage. It is clear that socioeconomic, environmental, abuse, and familial factors all play a role in the mental health of a developing youth and that sexual activity at a younger age is a result not a cause.
High quality longitudinal studies are imperative in discovering causality in many relationships in regards to sex. The idea that a self report surveys comparing two samples is enough to establish a relationship is irresponsible. It seems to me that, throughout this class I have learned, a lot of studies conducted were inadequate and conclusions were drawn based upon improper samples and researcher ego. The study of sexuality is in its infancy and this is clearly pointed out by the fact that 100 years ago we were treating hysteria by surgical removal of female anatomy. One hundred years is not that long in the grand scheme. The need for objective, humble, and logical research and researchers is clear.
Longitudinal studies will provide a clearer picture as to what relationships exist. The ultimate question will however remain unanswered. Why? We will eventually establish the theory that detrimental development leads to sexual activity at a younger age. This I am sure. The question we need answered is why does it? I am not sure how we would find the answer to this question. How can you study the why?
I was very impressed with Bogart's longitudinal study; it was impressive that most of the original participants remained with the study until they were 29 years old. I also believe that the conclusions they came to were very logical. Based on the results though, I am not sure that there is a good enough case that abstinence in adolescence leads to greater mental health in later life. That would seem to then undermine the theory our country seems to employ in sex education of teenagers. I personally am not a fan of abstinence only programs in schools; I feel that they are uneffective and unrealistic as a whole. I am not against the promotion of abstinence, however, to simply tell kids to wait until marriage and leave it at that is unrealistic. It is better to tell students that abstinence until marriage may be the the best possible option but explain the possible protective measures they can take to protect themselves. It is better that they be fully educated then to be partially educated. Being that the connection between abstinence and greater mental health is controversial because it is not possible to tell what factors cause greater mental health, it seems more plausible to me that the idea that abstinence is essential comes more from cultural and traditional values. I think that religion plays a big role in these beliefs also. Because of that, I think it is unfair to promote these ideals when everyone may not believe in them. I think it is more possible that those who decide to stay abstinate are perhaps already more grounded and mentally healthy as it is.
The research into government funded programs should be promoted and financed by the government, but unfortunately, the abstinence education programs supported by the government haven’t been researched enough. I feel like this was very irresponsible because it provided too broad of a program which isn’t centered upon the “real issues” involving teen sex. This program states that the mental health of adults depends upon their abstinence as teens. This doesn’t address any of the underlying factors which cause teens to engage in sex at a young age.
The high quality longitudinal study conducted by Bogart and her colleagues made some very interesting findings and conclusions. The study is amazing due to the number of participants and the number of years of study. This study concentrated on three factors which included: education prospects for participants, quality of family life, and levels of rebelliousness.
I agree with the conclusion of the study that educational prospects greatly influence whether a female will engage in sexual intercourse at an early age. I reframed from sexual intercourse as a teenager due to college. I had a lot of peer pressure, but I practiced abstinence because I knew that there was more out there for me. I knew that if I finished high school, I could attend college, get a degree and find a higher quality partner. I also had boyfriends that shared my aspirations for college and a degree. They were just as worried as I was about sex and the possibility of pregnancy. So, we avoided pregnancy all together by remaining abstinent.
I also agree that family life impacts the sexual experiences of teenagers. I had a very open, loving relationship with my mother. We talked about sex, pregnancy, abortion, and just about every other subject. She said that she wanted more for me than just marriage, kids and being a homemaker. She made me believe that I was intelligent and that I could achieve anything. My family was financial stable. I wasn’t spoiled, but I had a decent life. I think that financial stress in a family can cause teens to seek stress relief through sex. Right now schools in northern Indiana need to be addressing this stress. It will be interesting to see how this economic downturn will impact the number of teenage pregnancy in the area.
The third factor that they listed was rebellion. I had several rebellious friends who engaged in sex just because they could. It was a form of rebellion to social norms. They did drugs and had several partners just for the “high” of doing it. I think that some people get a high from having sex with multiply partners. It is like a game for some teens. I was lucky to distance myself from all of this, but one of my close friends wasn’t so lucky. She was very rebellious and had her first abortion at age 15.
The conclusion reached at the end of this study was that the mental health of men was unrelated to early sexual experiences. It also found that it likely wasn’t the cause of women mental health problems either. So, the government has been promoting the idea that abstinence is good for mental health without any supporting research.
Bogart and her colleagues suggest that the abstinence program should concentrate on the background and environmental factors associated with teen sex and not simply on sexual behavior of teens.
After reading the blog, “Does Early Abstinence Promote Later Mental Health?” things seemed a little clear and made me analyze my views and feelings about this topic. First, I would like to state my opinion that Abstinence education does not work, look at Lubbock, Texas for example. Their public school systems only promote and teach abstinence education and they have a high teen pregnancy rate. Telling adolescents not to do something only makes them want to do it; it’s that natural rebelliousness in each one of us. They must education that abstinence is the best way but also teach the protection part of having sex, basically how to prevent all the possible consequences if they are choosing to engage in sexual behavior.
I like the manner that Bogart and her colleagues conducted their study and their results. Sometimes I feel that “sex” is a scapegoat for everything. I mean why would they think that abstinence would likely cause later mental health? For those subject whom abstained from having sex during their adolescence doesn’t mean that they will not have mental health issues later in life, they can go through any possible reasons that other adolescents went through that made engage in sexual behavior at an early age. Adolescents whom engage in sexual behavior may not have had a good support system at home. I truly believe that the environment is a foundation of how people are. Don’t get me wrong, I am not referring to sexuality (homosexual, heterosexual, or bi-sexual) in this case. I am just referring to sexual behavior.
I tend to think that if an adolescent lacks in a great support system, they tend to steer in the wrong direction, whether it be using drugs, alcohol, and/or engaging in sex. I think adults/parents/custodial individuals need to live by example.
I also think that an adolescent’s ethnicity and economic social status has a lot to do with sexual behavior. Yes, I know, there are rich kids whom engage in sex, but more than likely they are educated on the protections that are available to them.
But what about the adolescent who abstained but not because they wanted to but because of their physical ability or appearance? They may have mental issues as they grow up.
So basically, I think that do to issues that an adolescent may be experiencing mental health would have a consequence of engaging in sexual behavior as opposed to sex behavior causing mental health issues.
Post a Comment