Adolescent’s sexuality occurs when an individual starts experiencing the “puberty stage” where female and male begins to notice their changes on their body, as well as their psychological thoughts. They started to fantasized intimate image, ideas or thoughts and have the urge to experience it to their opposite or same sex. But what really influences the adolescent sexuality?
Today’s generation is said to be the “peak of uncontrollable adolescents”, maybe because of the new culture that society set standards of. There are instances where in one’s family have serious conflict for the reason that the parent and child have different perceptions. In my own perception, child’s learning starts inside their home and as the child grows they will be exposing outside their comfort zone, meet new peers and learn new things. When they become an adolescent, they will start to build a barrier between them and their parents, they may feel more conscious about themselves and not open to talk about what happened to their day unlike when they were kids, eager to seek for attention. Sometimes, in one’s family, it is not normal to verbalize the word “sex”, they are avoiding the topic because it sounds awkward for them therefore there are not enough knowledge regarding this matter. Other adolescents who are actively engaged to sexual activities will say the excuse, “My parents made it at an early age so do I”, but truthfully it is because she/he just simply wanted to do it.
There are some instances where an adolescent needs attention and support from their parents but their parents could not give it to them because they work abroad or they are broken family. Even though that adolescent lives with his/her grandparents or to other relatives, it can be a distress for that adolescent because he/she wants the care and love of her parents. The adolescent have no guide from his/her parents about adolescent sexuality then, there is a possibility that the adolescent will become interested with sex and look for sex partner/s as he/she is in the stage of curiosity.
As we encounter new people in our lives, they may influence us of what we do. For example, a teenage boy who was in the age of thirteen that time learned to watch “porn” because of the influenced of his friends. And so, that drives him to have premarital sex with someone then right after that, at an early age, he became a father, without knowing the responsibility of becoming a parent. Can he provide the needs of his child and partner? Where can he get money for their needs? From his parents? The child will suffer if that happens.
The culture has a big role to influence adolescent sexuality. The rural areas have more cases of early pregnancy because of the culture and the people in the community. Adolescent in these areas stop studying because of poverty. Their parents believed that education is not really important and force their child to help them in the farm. Resulting to have a negative mindset that because they are poor, they will stop studying and just be contented on what they have. People who have no ambitions in life chose to be stuck on their journey. For instance, my female friend/classmate did not continue to go to college and told me that it is because her parents cannot provide her an allowance anymore for her education and later on she got pregnant to her boyfriend for about two years. Instead of saving money for her education, she decided to live in with her boyfriend. Because of insufficient knowledge about adolescent sexuality and family planning, they tend to be more active in sexual activities. Unlike in the urban areas, who are more knowledgeable about adolescent sexuality. They are more aware of the diseases that they can get if they will have unprotected sex or multiple sexual partners and the consequences that they will face if they will engage to it at the wrong time. Education and career is essential to them and their attention with studying or having a job may prevent them to have sex with someone although not all the time.
A big factor that can influence adolescent sexuality is because an adolescent is unknowledgeable about the reproductive health education. Lack of knowledge about this matter can be a disadvantage to everyone. Many adolescents are suffering with STDs and AIDS because of unprotected sex and having multiple sexual partners.
Adolescent sexuality is a normal stage that an individual may experience but engaging with this at an early age is not a good idea. We need to consider first our financial status, if we are already stable or capable to raise a child. We need to promote family planning to help our economy and reduce poverty. Especially, to practice using contraceptives to prevent diseases but as we are a conservative country and marriage is sacred for us, it is better if we will just have an abstinence or not to engage in sexual activity or premarital sex.
