Sexual Behaviors - Article Example

Sexual behaviors SEXUAL BEHAVIORS Sexual Behaviors Sexual behaviors refer to the urge for sexual expression which is part of normal life (Mayo Clinic, 2007). The concepts of sexual behavior and sexual health have become increasingly important over the last decade (Sandfort, 2004, p. 181). With the increase of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, sexual health is a global topic of discussion where an individual’s sexual behaviors have great significance. Sexual health is a ‘positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships’ (Sandfort, 2004, p. 183). Freedom of sexual behavior allows the individual a pleasurable experience. It was not previously a subject discussed in public health. However with the advent of incurable AIDS and the subject of human rights, sexual behaviors are to be safe experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. Sexual behaviors vary according to ‘sex, gender identities, and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction’ (Sandfort, 2004, p. 183). The individual’s thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, practices and relationships all contribute to sexual behavior. Not all these are involved in all experiences. The factors which affect sexual behavior are biological, psychological and social factors. The cultural background, religious and spiritual differences could also influence these behaviors. The economic, political and historical factors may have some effects. Ethical and legal factors also bind on them. Human rights have led to the inclusion of same sex behaviors and transgenders by the WHO and the world in general as accepted behaviors (Sandfort, 2004, p. 183). When the sexual urge is overwhelming so that it becomes a preoccupation and affects one’s health, jobs, and relationships or causes problems, it becomes compulsive sexual behavior which has unpleasant consequences. Compulsive sexual behavior has been called hypersexuality or nymphomania or erotomania (Mayo Clinic, 2007). It has been termed as sexual addiction comparing it to the ‘high’ attained in drug abuse but generally taken as an impulsive control disorder. This explains the inability of the person with the disorder to resist the temptation to perform an act which is harmful to himself or to others. The normally enjoyable behavior is taken to the extreme (Mayo Clinic, 2007). Sexual Selection Theory Darwin’s theory predicts that “traits which yield an advantage in intrasexual competition for mates or which enhance an individual’s attractiveness to members of the opposite sex should be favored during the course of evolution (Dixson, 2007, p. 369). The body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and facial attractiveness in women and physique in men have been influenced by this theory. The hormone testosterone in men and oestrogen in women give rise to the secondary sexual characteristics and influence sexual behavior. Masculine hirsuteness is attractive to women while the physical features of women are attractive to men. Sexual orientation This is defined as the aspect of being erotically attracted or inclined towards males, females or both (Savin-Williams, 2007, p. 385). This orientation is believed to be present from birth and is exhibited by verbal and non-verbal indicators. These indicators could be “sexual and romantic attractions, erotic fantasies, sexual behaviors, romantic relationships, and sexual identity labels”. Same sex behavior was seen in less than 1% of adult population in a survey in US, UK and France (Savin-Willaims, 2007, p. 386). The proportion of gays who had sex with both sexes came up to one-fifth of the population. In a US survey, 8 % indicated same sex attraction and 2 % were lesbians. The proportion in the adolescents were similar. Gay youth had a tendency to change their attractions and behaviors after some time. Half of the 14% Dutch adult males claimed to have changed their same sex behaviors over time (Sandfort, 1997 in Savin-Williams, 2007, p. 386). In New Zealand the males who had same sex attraction had increased tendencies after five years. A similar result was seen among the lesbians too (Dickenson et al, 2003 in Savin-Williams, 2007, p. 386). So there was migration of behaviors in both directions. 97 % of heterosexuals maintained their identity. Nonheterosexuals frequently changed them: 39% of gay males, 65% of lesbians, 66% of male bisexuals and 77% of female bisexuals (Savin-Williams, 2007, p. 387). Homosexual behaviors Homosexual males are attracted towards the same sex. Lesbians are women attracted to other females. In a study 50-60% of male homosexuals have indulged in unprotected anal sex. 21% of them did not use a condom (Hospers, 2008, p.109). In a survey of the 2576 Dutch men, who reported casual sex in six months prior, 10% never used condoms. 20 % used condoms inconsistently and 70 % consistently used condoms or did not have anal sex (Hospers, 2008, p. 110). Similar results were found in an Australian survey where unprotected anal sex was reported in 30%. Lesbian mothers had more problems bringing up their child without their father than those women in father-present families. Some researchers did not find any difference (MacCallam and Golombok, 2004). Issues that commonly accompany homosexuality are drug abuse, suicide ideation, child molestation, gay and lesbian parenting (Hospers, 2008, p. 109). Pedophilia Pedophilia can be diagnosed in one of four ways. It can be diagnosed by a psychiatrist or expressed as a deviant phallometric profile or a combination of the two mentioned or when high scores are obtained on the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interest (Seto & Lalumi`ere, 2001 in Kingston et al, 2007, p. 423). Sexual offenders who offend children have a criminal history which varies from that of those offending adults. Victim selection (intra-familial, incest or extra-familial) and victim gender vary. Assessment and treatment depend on the classification of pedophilia. A child molester is a person who has offended a pre-pubescent child by engaging in a sexually motivated act without an indication for preference (Kingston et al, 2007, p. 424). A pedophile is a person who has exhibited a preference for sexual behavior against a child (O’Donohue, Regev and Hagstrom, 2000 in Kingston et al, 2007, p. 424). All child molesters are not pedophiles. Also all pedophiles may not have actually committed a sexual offence against a child. When child molesters are questioned, their deviant sexual fantasies and preferences may not be admitted by them. Diagnosis becomes difficult. Phallometric testing helps to determine the diagnosis. This may also provide evidence for the sexual preference too (Kingston et al, 2007, p. 424). 78.2% of the child molesters of female children and 88.6% of those of male victims were found to have deviant sexual arousal (Freund and Watson, 1991 in Kingston et al, 2007, p. 424). The Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interest helps to identify the individuals who are likely to display sexual interest in children. Sexual risk behaviors. Sexual risk behaviors expose the people involved in vaginal, anal and oral intercourse and the partners at risk for becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. It was found that 48% of schoolchildren were indulging in sexual activity and 15 % of them had four or more sex partners (Sexual risk behaviors, National CDC ). 39 % had unsafe sex without the condom. Statistics of 2002 show that youth between the ages of 15-19 had anal sex with the partner of opposite sex and 39% of the males had anal sex with someone of the same sex. The same year, 55 % of males and 54 % of females had oral sex with males. In 2006, young children between the ages of 13 and 24 were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. This came to about 14% of the number diagnosed. Unwanted pregnancies in adolescent girls accounted for 12% of all pregnancies. Every year 19 million new STD infections are diagnosed in this age group (Sexual risk behaviors, National CDC ). Abstinence is the significant method of preventing STD and unwanted pregnancies in the youth. Consistent use of the condom in sexual activity reduces the risk of transmission of STD. Absolute use of the condom however does not eliminate the risks. Active prevention education must be instituted to prevent these risky behaviors in the youth. HIV/AIDS and sexual behavior Reducing HIV/AIDS has become a challenge since the 1980s. Developing interventions which change a person’s sexual behavior has become significant (Cole, 2007, p. 103.). Heterosexual adults are less likely to practice safe sex if they have the same partner always in the belief that monogamy is sufficient to safeguard them selves against the possibility of HIV infection. The risk of the partner having become infected without their knowledge is overlooked. Partner violence affects the decision making power of the women. These physically abused women are prone to the infection. They are not allowed to make the decisions on safer sex, use of substances before sex, their partner having other partners and report an inability to persuade their partner to use the condom (Cole, 2007, p. 103). Substance use is associated with higher rates of infection. Sharing the infected needles, triggering of violent behavior, multiple sex partners, more unprotected sex and having riskier sex partners are associated with the substance use. Effect of parental influence on sexual behavior of adolescents. Studies have shown that delaying the first intercourse in females has been influenced by parental monitoring (Nagamatsu, 2008, p. 601). This could also work for the males. However parental disapproval of the male adolescents’ sexual behavior has also turned out to be influencing them. Sexuality is an important behavioral health issue in adolescents. There are more induced abortions and unwanted pregnancies in girls below 20 years in Japan (Nagamatsu, 2008, p. 602). Sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS have also increased. The education programs in the US for adolescents delaying the first intercourse or reducing the sexual behaviors or increasing condom use may be adopted. The parents are believed to influence their children’s sexual behavior through processes of high quality parent-adolescent communication, sharing of values, monitoring, controlling their activities and providing warmth and support above all (Nagamatsu, 2008, p. 602). Parental disapproval has helped to delay the first intercourse and to have lesser unwanted pregnancies and lesser partners. Influence of culture on sexual behavior The Sambia tribe of the Eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea has a peculiar tradition (Herdt, 1999). The males in this tribe undergo a period of ‘prescribed male homosexuality’ before their heterosexual marriage. Here sexual behavior has been influenced by historical and cultural perspectives. The young ones practice fellatio on the older adolescents. Their views about the pollution of women and the masculinising properties of semen are strange by modern impressions. The male children are taken away from the mother, who is also a woman and could pollute him, at the early age of nine. The belief is that the young boy will be able to produce semen only if he ingests it first. This is also essential for developing strong bones and muscles. secondary sex characters and reproductive competence. These boys when older serve younger ones. The homosexual activity stops when the young man is married. This culture is also seen in some Melanesian people (Herdt, 1999). References: Dixson, B.J. et al. (2007). “Human Physique and Sexual Attractiveness: Sexual Preferences of Men and Women in Bakossiland, Cameroon”. Arch Sex Behav (2007) 36:369–375, Springer Science and Business Media. DOI 10.1007/s10508-006-9093-8 Herdt, G. (1999). “Sambia Sexual Culture: Essays From the Field”. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, Hospers, H.J. (2004). “A General Review of Recent Reports on Homosexuality and Lesbianism by John R. Hughes”. Sex Disabil (2008) 26:109–111 DOI 10.1007/s11195-008-9079-7 Kingston, D.A. et al. (2007). “The Utility of the Diagnosis of Pedophilia: A Comparison of Various Classification Procedures”. Arch Sex Behav (2007) 36:423–436 DOI 10.1007/s10508-006-9091-x MacCallam, F., Golombok, S.: Children raised in fatherless families from infancy: a follow-up of children of lesbian and single heterosexual mothers at early adolescence. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 45,1407–1419 (2004) Mayo Clinic, 2007 20/9/07 Retrieved on 11/1/09 “Compulsive sexual behavior”. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/compulsive-sexual-behavior/DS00144 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Nagamatsu, M. et al. (2008). “Factors associated with gender differences in parent adolescent relationships that delay the first intercourse”. The Journal of School Health, Nov, 2008, Vol. 78, No. 11, Proquest educational journals Sandfort, T.G.M. and Ehrhardt, A.A. (2004). “Sexual Health: A Useful Public Health Paradigm or a Moral Imperative?” Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 33, No. 3, June 2004, pp. 181–187 Plenum Publishing Corporation Savin-Williams, R.C. and Ream, G.L. (2007). “Prevalence and Stability of Sexual Orientation Components During Adolescence and Young Adulthood:. Arch Sex Behav (2007) 36:385–394 DOI 10.1007/s10508-006-9088-5 “Sexual risk behaviors”. Retrieved on 11/1/09. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and health Promotion, http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/ Read More