Sexual risk and protective factors. Factors affecting teen sexual behavior pregnancy childbearing and sexually transmitted disease: Which are important? Which can you change?

Nearly half of U.S. high school students (9th-12th graders) have had sexual intercourse and over 60 percent report having had sex by the time they graduate. This demonstrates that many adolescents are confronted at some point during their teen years with choices about whether or not to have sex and if they do whether or not to use condoms and/or other contraceptives. Many factors affect those choices. Parents educators and other adults working with youth have learned that they cannot directly control the sexual behavior of teens. While parents might wish to monitor their sons or daughters 24 hours a day to prevent them from having sex or at the very least unprotected sex they cannot do this. Instead parents and others concerned about youth can only try to affect those factors that in turn affect the sexual decision-making of young people. For example they might try to affect factors such as the teens values about sexual behavior their perceptions of family values and peer norms about sex their attitudes about condoms and other forms of contraception their educational and career plans or their connection to their parents their schools and their faith communities all of which are likely to affect whether or not teens have sex and whether or not they use protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD). Understanding important factors related to sexual behavior is important not only to change that behavior; it is important to identify those teens who are most at risk of having sex and unprotected sex. First people can use these factors to identify those teens at greater risk; then they can address the important factors affecting their behavior. This report identifies many of these factors and explains their implications for those working to help youth avoid risky sexual behaviors and potential consequences. (excerpt)