TEEN SEX DECISIONS

Helping teenaged girls make wise sexual decisions

By Mary B. Short, PhD, and Susan L. Rosenthal, PhD

Rational decision-making and raging adolescent hormones do sound like strange bedfellows. But research reveals some ways ob/gyns can help teens make wiser choices—and grow into healthy sexual adults.

Each year approximately 3 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases occur in adolescents, and one in four sexually active teens will get an STD before they're old enough to vote.¹ As daunting as that statistic may be, ob/gyns can make a difference during adolescence—a time marked by the onset of puberty and sexual maturation. They can help teens to develop healthy sexual decision-making skills, while steering them away from health-compromising behaviors linked with acquiring STDs or becoming unintentionally pregnant.

The sobering pregnancy statistics (approximately 800,000 to 900,000 adolescent pregnancies each year) have further repercussions.² Saddled with these responsibilities at such a young age, many teen parents face an uphill battle completing high school, becoming financially secure adults, and coping with the demands of caring for a baby—both emotionally and cognitively.³

Understanding developmental processes can aid both clinicians and parents alike in their efforts to help adolescents. Adolescents are qualitatively different at each stage, and even teens of identical age may be at different stages of biological, cognitive, and/or emotional development. For example, while one 16-year-old may already be dating and having sexually intimate relationships, another may be spending her time with groups of peers playing sports. Therefore, consider your adolescent patient's development across time and within context, including individual characteristics, family environment, social milieu, and relationship context.