Teen Sex May Take Emotional Toll

(WebMD)  Teen sex — oral or vaginal — may have negative emotional consequences, especially for girls, according to a new study in Pediatrics.

Parents and health professionals should help teens prepare for and cope with the emotions attached to sex, say Sonya Brady, Ph.D., and Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, Ph.D. The two researchers work at the University of California, San Francisco.

They studied a diverse group of 273 sexually active students at two California public schools between 2002 and 2004. The students, 56 percent of whom were girls, all reported having had vaginal and/or oral sex by spring of 10th grade.

Of the students, 116 said they had had only oral sex, 43 said they had had only vaginal sex, and 114 said they had had both.

For the study, the students completed surveys every six months between 9th and 10th grade about the consequences they experienced from sex.

Overall, the teens reported positive consequences — such as pleasure, popularity, and stronger relationships. But a sizeable percentage noted negative consequences such as feeling used, getting pregnant, contracting a sexually transmitted infection, or feeling bad about themselves.

Those reporting at least one negative effect included 31 percent of those who had had only oral sex, 58 percent of those who had had only vaginal sex, and nearly 62 percent of those who had had both.

Girls were more than twice as likely as boys to say they felt bad about themselves. Girls were also more than three times as likely to say they felt used as a result of having sex.

Those findings may partly stem from society's double standard about sex.

"These findings are consistent with research showing that boys are encouraged to be sexually experienced, whereas girls are encouraged to restrict sexual behavior," the researchers write.

Boys were more likely to say their popularity rose when they became sexually active. But they were also more likely to report a pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection as a result of their sexual activity.

The reasons for those findings aren't clear. The boys may have been more sexually active, had more partners or risky sex, or been more willing to admit those consequences, say the researchers.

Teens may need help in coping with the emotions that surround sex, the researchers say. They encourage health professionals and other adults to talk with adolescents "about how decisions to engage in any type of sexual activity may have important consequences."

The study has limits. For instance, it's not clear if the results apply to all sexually active 9th- and 10th-grade students.

Also, the surveys didn't label the listed consequences as good or bad; the researchers classified consequences as positive or negative without teen input.

"We do not know whether consequences were viewed as positive or negative by adolescents," write Brady and Halpern-Felsher.

SOURCES: Brady, S. Pediatrics, February 2007; Vol. 119: pp. 229-236. Reuters.

By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang, M.D

[gaye5]

Cbscrash07, if that girl wasn't there he would have had *** with anyone... I am tall, have long legs long dark hair, slim, and I am told that I was so pretty in my teens, but there is no way anyone was going to use me like a toilet, as a relieving post.

[anopinion1]

DUH!!!!!!

guy finds out he was used for s.e.x
vs.
girl finds out she was used for s.e.x

guy smiles and thinks higly of himself and wishes this would happen more often.
girl cries and thinks down upon herself and wishes this would never happen to her again.

(((in general this is the outcome)))

as other have pointed out here it dosent matter if you ask teenagers or adults the question you will get the same answer.

[anopinion1]

DUH!!!!!!

guy finds out he was used for s.e.x
vs.
girl finds out she was used for s.e.x

guy smiles and things higly of himself and wishes this would happen more often.
girl cries and thinks down upon herself and wishes this would never happen to her again.

(((in general this is the outcome)))

as other have pointed out here it dosent matter if you ask teenagers or adults the question you will get the same answer.

[billpl-2009]

Thanks WebMD, for informing us on something that any person with a 5th grade education and an IQ above 75 can figure out on their own.

Kids are people...People have s-e-x...Many times things don't work out as intended...People have feelings...Feelings get hurt

DUH?

[Syndicate]

What about all those who have been irreparably harmed from missing out on the whole teen *** thing? We should make it mandatory. Sure that girl may feel used but at least she can say someone wanted to use her.

[sharncedar]

Women's bodies are temples in which life is created; this gives them value.

And so we fight over the control of women's bodies like we fight over oil in Iraq. The current lie is that these silly girls should have control over their own bodies. The theory goes they will be the guardians of their own gate, so to speak.

Of course, that makes no sense. An imbecile can't guard Fort Knox, and teenage girls are too dumb to guard or be in charge of anything, even a credit card.

What the "media" really means when it says teenage girls should control their own bodies is that the rich and the corporate culture should control those bodies, especially not the parents who are the other major contender along with the *** semi-rapist boys who prey on dumb young girls.

Teenage girls are very much like Iraq; they are nobodies all thier life then suddenly they have a valuable resource and everyone is fighting over it. The corporate state wants them to be "independent" especially of their parents or community, so they can install some puppet fool there and get control. A sign of this external control is body dysmorphia, in which a girl is acknowledging that her body is owned by forces outside herself, which is the body image presented by the media.

That's my analysis of it, resources and struggle for control.

[bluestardad]

Teen *** is fun! Give it a rest you did it, they get to do it now. Deal with it!

[adventurepa]

The sad thing is nothing will change even with the information from this report.

Addressing human emotions from depression to complete joy is not required learning in schools. Not morality based feelings, you can go to church for that if you need guidenance, but human emotions and how they shape your exsistence.
A required course in human emotions should be required study in every school.
Cover every subject so as we mature we have the knowledge to understand why people feel the way they do. The greaving process might be a good place to start.
People are a product of their environment.
You only know what you have been taught or learned yourself.
Knowledge is the key to understanding oneself.

[bluestardad]

33 percent of middle school girls have *** too but this has been going on since time started. Deal with it!

[akarsno]

We can only do so much in today society and educate them properly from home and at school.

With what the media is showing and teaching intoday's world ... only our proper parental love and guidance could try to help guide our children for the future.