Promoting Healthy Sexuality
Steven M. Brown and Carl Schwartz state that as a culture, we are immensely conflicted about sexuality generally, especically child and adolescent sexuality. On our televistions, movie screens, video games and in our email boxes, sexual messages, images, innuendos are ever present. A 1997 study of prime time television revealed that the average adolescent in the U.S. views 1400 sexual references, jokes, and innuendos each year (Stasburger, 1997). However, only one in 85 of these references will mention abstinence, contraception, or marriage (Daves, 1995). Studies show that few parents talk with their children in a meaningful way about sexual health issues (Warren & Neer, 1992; Goldstein & Connelly, 1998; Durex Corporation, 1997) despite children’s desire to hear their parents’ views on the topic. Compared to previous generations, today’s adolescents reach puberty earlier, have sexual intercourse earlier, and get married significantly later.