In response to the frequent lack (or insufficiency) of information from the home and the inaccuracy of much of what children hear from peers, other social institutions in the United States, especially schools, are attempting to provide sex education. However, the quality and extent of school-based sex education programs vary considerably. Most efforts to provide […]

Some topics never get discussed, at least not at the proper time, unless parents are will­ing to take the initiative. We are referring to certain aspects of sexual maturation that a child may not consider until he or she experiences them. These include menstruation, first ejaculation, and nocturnal (nighttime) orgasms. Experience with first menstrua­tion or […]

Parents often ask us when they should start telling their children about sex. One answer is, when the child begins to ask questions. It seems typical for children to inquire about sex along with myriad other questions they ask about the world around them. Research has indicated that by about age 4, most children begin […]

Many parents today want to contribute to the sex education of their children. Societal values about sex are rapidly changing, and we all are exposed to contrasting opinions. How much should children see, or how much should they be told? Many parents— even some who are comfortable with their own sexuality—have difficulty judging the "best" […]

Many authorities on adolescent sexuality agree that educational efforts designed to increase teenagers’ awareness of contraception and other aspects of sexuality would be much more effective if they treated sexuality as a positive aspect of our humanity rather than something that is wrong or shameful. In many Western European countries, where teenage birthrates are dramatically […]

Despite the physical, economic, lifestyle, and emotional stress of pregnancy and par — enthood—and despite the availability of birth control today—many sexually active American teenagers do not use contraceptives consistently or effectively (Barclay, 2010; Reece et al., 2010b; Scott et al., 2011). Furthermore, many adolescents do not use any contraception at all the first few […]

The cited statistics on teenage pregnancy represent a great deal of human suffering. A pregnant teenager is more likely to have physical complications than a woman in her 20s. These complications include anemia, toxemia, hypertension, hemorrhage, miscar­riage, and even death (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006). Adolescent pregnancy is also associated with prenatal and infant mortality […]

The incidence of births to teenagers in the United States has declined steadily from its peak in 1991. In 2009 the birthrate for U. S. teens was 39.1 births per 1,000 females, a 37% decrease from 61.8 births per 1,000 teenage females in 1991 and the lowest rate of teen births ever recorded (Centers for […]

Many health professionals are concerned that American teens are particularly at risk for becoming infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS (Trepka et al., 2008). Var­ious surveys have shown that most adolescents in the United States are familiar with the basic facts about AIDS and are aware that high-risk activities can lead to transmis­sion […]

is support for people with same-sex orientations. Some colleges and high schools in the United States now provide a more accepting environment for the establishment of support groups for gay and lesbian students. Nationwide, there are more than 3,000 Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) on middle school, high school, and college campuses (Warbelow, 2008). GSAs are clubs […]