Just who is influencing our teenage boys’ sexual behavior?
Parents preach prudence - Peers promote pleasure
Heidelberg, May 9, 2007
If you have teenage boys and are unsure about what topics
to cover when discussing ‘the birds and bees’ with them, it may be worth
reading the latest piece of research about sexual communication and teenage boys
by Marina Epstein and L. Monique Ward from The University of Michigan. The
study (1), published this week in Springer’s Journal
of Youth and Adolescence, shows that parental communication, if indeed
there is any, more often than not focuses on the negative aspects of sex
compared to the rather more positive sexual messages teenage boys receive from
the media and their peers.
A total of 286 male undergraduates aged 18-24 were asked to recall who had had
the greatest influence on their sexual education and, more specifically, who had
discussed or been responsible for which aspects. The authors’ goal was
to determine whether there is a difference in the information gleaned from
parents, peers, and the media, and if the information provided by each group
differed in the types of sexual values expressed.
In line with prior studies, the researchers found that most parents had provided
some education, but that the type of information provided contrasted sharply to
that given by peers and the media. Parents were the strongest supporters
of abstinence and provided most information about pregnancy and fertilization.
However, for all other topics, parents were seen as having contributed the
least.
Communication from peers, conversely, encouraged nonrelational sex and provided
models of dating and sexual behavior and information on being ‘cool’.
The media appeared to be equally influential and was strongest in promoting
gendered sexual stereotypes and in giving messages promoting sexual freedom.
However, the authors point out that there was a great variation between the
subjects in what had been covered by which source. For example, the media
was also seen as providing the most information on AIDS, STDs, and condoms.
Issues of love and homosexuality did not appear to be addressed by any of the
sources.
The authors conclude that this study raises several important questions, namely:
How do young men negotiate these conflicting opinions? What messages win?
What might make men heed their parents’ advice and not the sexual advice of
their peers and the media? But perhaps the most important question for
future research is: Which types of messages from which sources are the most
influential? Once these questions are answered, we may have some idea of
the complex processes of adolescent development and decision making. Thus,
we may be better at influencing our teenage sons to make choices that are right
for them and help them negotiate peer and media pressure that encourages them to
conform to unhealthy stereotypes.
1. Epstein M, Ward M (2007). ‘Always use protection’:
Communication boys receive about sex from parents, peers and the media. Journal
of Youth and Adolescence (DOI 10.1007/s10964-007-9187-1)
Full-text article is available to journalists as a pdf on request.
Contact
Joan Robinson
tel +49-6221-487-8130