Teen Sex May Take Emotional Toll

Study Says Girls Are Especially Vulnerable To Negative Emotional Consequences

(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.

[bigwhtpony]

Gee, ya think? Like we needed someone with a PhD to tell us this.

[Jasonian18]

Idiots this is why we "dogmatic, stupid, bigoted" Christians say abstain jeeze it says in the Bible and it is visibly seen what the affect of sexual activity before marriage causes jeeze i swear people are soooo stupid we" dumb ignorant" Christians don't know anything ya right we have been saying these things about premarital *** forever. but does anyone listen NO! does anyone care NO! does anyone think that the Christians were right? NO! of course not why should they that would be admitting that they are wonrg and that the "idiotic stupid bigoted dogmattic" Christians were right it took a new study to figure this out please Christians have known this for years and years. we were teaching abstinence since centuries ago but noone listens and the worst part is that it doesn't just affect those in 9th to 10th grade that is just foolish to believe that it is documented in hundereds of age groups all the way up through the 30's and down even down to those who are just 5 and 6 years old. disgusting yes true yes almost everyone has adverse affects but we are still going to say you abstinate but if you must here is a condom. that is hypocritical.
this is the voice of one of those depressed people along with a whole group who are depressed and feel terrible about what they have done and do.

[Jasonian18]

also just to mention cultural changes don't change human nature these tendencies have always been around even in rape rape is just the more obvious example of depression after *** because sometimes it is semi accepted from both parties but one convinces the other to go on anyways. Now all of you people who say Christians are dumb tell me how is it that a person with a PH D says what we Christians have been saying for years its believable but no one can just listen to what we have to say right away? maybe people should hear us out even if you don't believe in God or not in My God look into the Bible there are scientific truths in their that we have just recently figured out.

[sharncedar]

How could they do the study - there isn't an American girl who hasn't had every kind of s*x with every indecent dirty man in town, is there? I mean, who do they compare our little *** against, since there are no virgins from Canada south to Mexico, just towns and schools and campus full of dirty used ***. American "princesses" with sour looking faces and a bad smell.

[sharncedar]

And let's not have the Christians bragging, the little Christian girls are the dirtiest ho's in town. They sing on Sunday, they sing louder Saturday night! With the preacher or his son! America, land of used and stinking women that look like cattle and smell like 'em and act like 'em. sooooooo -- eeeey!

[rray52]

The results of their survey might be big news at the University of California, San Francisco.
My reply is; It took a survey for you%u2019ll to figure that out?

[Jasonian18]

lol shows what you know of there are thousands upon thousands of girls who have not had *** yet these girls happen to be Christians as well at least the ones i know about and they are pretty happy and succesful people look at the past all the people turning out to be great people like elvis presley and many presidents and many of our great grandfathers and grandmothers all being abstinant. hello there is your hotory of it right there i think its funny you think every girl is a wh0re.

[Jasonian18]

you would be surprised how little you know about Christians but not surprisesing when was the last time you spoke to a Christian girl? oh you just get all those ideas from the catholics and dirtyy pornagraphy you moan in since to every night. when was the last time you even went to a church ? then i wonder where are you getting this(very false) information to base on? oh your own dirty imagination go figure.

[Jasonian18]

by thye way ray you make a good point the same one im makin go figure.

[ecuadoriana]

In the past teens would be married by 16, 17 or 18 & started families right away (my own grandparents were married at 16, worked together & stayed married until their deaths in their mid 80's, my parents were married at 17). They were encouraged by their own parents to work hard, find a good mate, move out & start their own family. Families worked together in a family business, or boys went out into an apprentice trade, girls to work as house keepers & such.

S**ual stereotyping aside, the point is KIDS were encouraged to work, & work hard. They were encouraged to grow up. As we've evolved into a society that encourages kids to be lazy & self absorbed, we have kids who, although having learned to surpress the urge for responsible adulthood, have not been able to surpress their s**ual urges. That is because it goes against nature to be abstinent.

We as a society no longer encourage kids to grow up work hard, be responsible. Instead it is: fast cash, instant gratification, computerised everything, dumbing down, self absorption, materialism is king, celebrity worship, blame everyone else, ritilin addiction... Even the "old school" paper route job, that was a right of passage for kids, has been taken over by adults driving SUV's while the kids need to be dragged out of bed in the morning & practically dressed by their parents & driven to school because heaven forbid should they walk a mile.

Teen s** is nothing new. But what is new is teen irresponsibility.

[jsilver2th]

Would the survey results be the same for adults?

[bellal-2009]

great post, ecuadoriana

[akarsno]

What this world needs at this time and age and as we progress into the future is to educate the young that *** is not Good/Bad.

We need to let them know that it is ok if it feels right when the time comes for them to make an important decision like that when they feel it is right with the right person.

And if ... it turned out not what they had expected ... to learn from the lesson and not make the same mistake twice.

[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.

[bluestardad]

33 percent of middle school girls have *** too but this has been going on since time started. 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]

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

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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.