Noncoital sexual expression provides an important way for many couples to relate to one another, often as an alternative to intercourse. Noncoital sex refers to erotic physi­cal contact that can include kissing, holding, touching, manual stimulation, or oral — genital stimulation—but not coitus. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy changes in the pattern of noncoital […]

Although a significant number of teenagers do not experience sexual intercourse by the age of 19, many masturbate. As we saw earlier in this chapter, masturbation is a com­mon sexual expression during childhood. The NSSHB Survey found that masturbation was considerably more common than partnered sexual activities during adolescence (Her — benick et al., 2010a). […]

Although children have been learning gender-role stereotypes since infancy, the empha­sis on gender-role differentiation often increases during adolescence. One way that gender-role expectations for males and females are revealed is through the existence of a sexual double standard: different standards of sexual permissiveness for women and men, with more restrictive standards almost always applied to […]

Adolescence is a period of exploration, when sexual behavior—both self-stimulation and partner-shared stimulation—generally increases. However, the results of the NSSHB Survey, which included adolescents in its national probability sample, indi­cate that teenage sexual behavior is somewhat less pervasive than it is often portrayed by the media. In fact, "At any given time point, most adolescents […]

American Ethnic Diversity in Age at Menarche An analysis of menstrual status data obtained from a nationally representative sample of 2,510 girls, ages 8 to 20 years, found significant ethnic differences in age at menarche (Chumlea et al., 2003). This analysis provided estimates of the median ages at which 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% […]

Adolescence is a time of dramatic physiological changes and social-role development. In Western societies it is the transition between childhood and adulthood that typi­cally spans the period between ages 12 and 20. Most of the major physical changes of adolescence take place during the first few years of this period. However, important and often profound […]

Besides self-stimulation, prepubertal children often engage in play that can be viewed as sexual (Sandnabba et al., 2003; Thanasiu, 2004). Such play takes place with friends or siblings of the same sex or other sex who are about the same age (Thanasiu, 2004). It can occur as early as the age of 2 or 3 […]

Infants fondle their genitals and masturbate by rubbing or thrusting their genital area against an object, such as a pillow or a doll, but the rhythmic manipulation of the genitals associated with adult masturbation generally does not occur until a child reaches the age of 21/ or 3 years old (DeLamater & Friedrich, 2002; Kaestle […]

What constitutes normal and healthy sexual behavior in children? This is a difficult question for which we have no definitive answer; the data on childhood sexuality are scarce. Research in this area is limited by a number of factors, not the least of which is the difficulty of obtaining financial support for basic research on […]

The orgasm in an infant or other young male is, except for lacking of ejaculation, a striking duplicate of orgasm in an older adult. The behavior involves a series of gradual physiologic changes, the development of rhythmic body movements with distinct penis throbs and pelvic thrusts, an obvious change in sensory capacities, a final tension […]