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Teens more likely to use condoms for casual sex
Filed under: Teens, Health & Safety: Babies, Development/Milestones: Babies
I am always somewhat relieved to hear the words "teenagers" and "confirmed condom use" in almost any context. I now house a teen under my roof and while I love babies, I don't want anymore to dwell under my roof any time soon. So I found this article on teens condom use slightly comforting. In a study group of nearly 1,300 young people, ages 15 to 21, researchers asked them to report their sexual activity for the most recent 90 days. 65% of the participants admitted to having sex with a longterm partner during that time, while 35% said they had sex with at least one casual partner. A larger percentage of the more committed partner group said they neglected to use a condom during intercourse, while those in the more casual group reported a higher instance of condom usage. One of the reasons stated for the lesser chance of using a condom was partner dissatisfaction.
So while more promiscuous teens are slightly more likely to slip on a condom in moments of passion, the studies are still discouraging. It is not so much the fact that teens are having sex. Teens have always had sex and will continue to do so regardless of what parents say or do or what studies report. In my eye it is the fact that they are blinded by the belief that they can't or won't get pregnant or contract a sexually transmitted disease. This is what scares me as I raise a teen.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-25-2006 @ 4:24PM
Sadie said...I hate how these studies include people 18 and over. Those aren't teenagers in the sense of being children; they're adults. It really skews the numbers. This study included people from ages 15 to 21 - by the time I was 20, I was married.... sexual habits at that age should not be included with the activities of 15 year old high school sophmores. That 65% that said they had sex within a long-term relationship - that includes all the young adults that are engaged, married, etc. and starting families, KWIM?
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8-25-2006 @ 6:29PM
ann adams said...I agree with Sadie. I'd start a little younger these days and stop at 17 or 18.
That being said, it's probably not that far off. Some of these young women may be using another type of birth control which doesn't protect them or their partner from STD.
I have no solution except to keep talking to our kids. AIDS hasn't gone away; it just hasn't received as much attention in this country as it once did. Herpes is forever, gonorrhea can leave a woman sterile, and I don't even want to think about the long term effects of syphillis. Those are only a few of the consequences of irresponsible, unprotected sexual activity.
It's next to impossible to frighten a teen but we can try. They should be scared enough to practice either abstinence (real abstinence, not the everything but variety) or safe sex.
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8-25-2006 @ 10:48PM
Belinda said...I agree, they need to stop including 18 and older. Even thought until nineTEEN you are still technically a teen even if you are LEGAL! LOL! So maybe it should STOP at 19? LOL! Anyways, this is a little comforting. I didn't have sex for the first time until I was 18 and EVERY time it was with a condom, until I got pregnant and then it was pointless. I got pregnant about a month after my fiance and I started dating. LOL!
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