Is earlier sex education harmful? An analysis of the timing of school-based sex education and adolescent sexual behaviours

Research in Education, May 2002 by Somers, Cheryl L, Eaves, Matt W

The offering of sex education in public schools is often a topic of debate. What should be taught and when are frequently asked questions. A fair amount of research has explored the influences of sex education on the initiation and frequency of sexual intercourse. The rationale behind formal instruction in sex education is that knowledge about human reproduction, sexual behaviour, and contraception could dispel misconceptions, myths, and half-truths while encouraging more informed, responsible decision making about individual sexual behaviour.

A variety of studies have evaluated the effectiveness of school sexual education programmes in terms of their impact on adolescent sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. However, the results have not been consistent, some finding positive effects and others finding no influence. Some studies have shown education programmes to influence students' sexual knowledge in a positive way. For example, Kirby (1980) found that instruction in sexual education increases sexual knowledge. This finding was consistent across all studies reviewed (Dawson, 1986; Finkel and Finkel, 1985; Melchert and Burnett, 1990; Shelly, 1981), although the degree of significance varied, with some finding small and some finding large influences.

The research on sexual attitudes is less positive. Although one study (Hoch, 1971) concluded that courses on sexuality increase the tolerance of the students' attitudes towards the sexual practice of others, many studies have found that sex education did not make a difference in adolescents' attitudes. Parcel and Luttman (1981) found that most programmes did not change the direction of students' attitudes toward pre-marital sex, birth control, or other issues of sexuality. Finkel and Finkel (1985) also found that the programmes did not have a measurable impact on adolescents' attitudes toward sexuality. Similarly, studies have looked at how sex education has impacted sexual behaviours. In most of those studies, formal sex education was found to have little or no impact on sexual behaviours (Dawson, 1986; McKay, 1993; Maslach and Kerr, 1983; Zelink and Kim, 1982). However, sexual behaviour has commonly been defined as sexual intercourse and it may be important to consider other definitions.

These inconsistent findings in the literature warrant further investigation if we are to better understand what can influence adolescent sexual development and behaviour. It may be that the inconsistencies are due, at least in part, to the choice of variables that have been included in prior research. `Sex education' generally occurs at more than a single point in time, and can consist of a wide range of approaches and topics. A key variable to consider is when children are first exposed to it. Few studies have examined the relation between the age at which sex education is taught and the occurrence of sexual behaviour during adolescence. Specifically, age of first exploration with intercourse and frequency of sexual behaviour are important developmental issues to consider. Therefore it may be important to look at other factors of sex education, which may explain these inconsistencies seen in the literature. Perhaps the age at which sex education is introduced is a more consistent influence on sexuality. The focus on the timing of first sexual intercourse is especially important because early sexual debut is associated with more risky sexual behaviour such as having multiple partners (Seidman et al., 1994), and early onset lengthens the time at risk of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. One study revealed that, when mothers and adolescents communicated about condom use before the teens initiated sexual intercourse, teens were more likely to use condoms during first and later sexual intercourse (Miller et aL, 1998).

Today's teenagers reach physical maturity earlier and marry later. A steady increase has occurred in the percentage of young people having sexual intercourse and a decrease in the age at which sexual intercourse is initiated (Haffner, 1996). Studies have found that approximately eight in ten males and seven in ten females are sexually experienced by age 19 (Guttmacher, 1981; Hayes, 1987). One survey revealed that 44 per cent of girls and 64 per cent of boys report that they were sexually active by their eighteenth birthday (Hayes, 1987). By age 15 seven in ten boys and five in ten girls have had sexual intercourse (Masserman and Uribe,1989). This further suggests that the timing of sexual education is crucial. Indeed, adolescents themselves appear to hold values and attitudes consistent with responsible sexual conduct, but sexually experienced teens usually indicate that the best age for first intercourse is older than they were when they began having sex (Somers, 1999; Zabin et al., 1984).

Additionally, contrary to popular belief, greater levels of sexual knowledge were not necessarily a prerequisite for adolescents who chose to be sexually active (Eisen and Zellman, 1986). Other researchers have found that adolescents' knowledge of fact-based sexuality and biology information (Moore and Rosenthal, 1992), of AIDS (Jacobson et al., 1994; Weinstein et al., 1991) or of how to use birth control (Melchert and Burnett, 1990) does not necessarily stop them from engaging in unprotected sex or unreliable contraceptive use. Teens, and especially younger teens, may lack the cognitive maturity and skills necessary to understand the consequences and implications of sexual activity (Steinberg, 1999) and to select responsible courses of action (Lowenstein and Furstenberg, 1991; Miller and Moore, 1990), including a later onset of experimentation with sexual intercourse. Adolescents generally feel invulnerable in that they tend not to relate actions to consequences, perhaps leading to greater risk-taking behaviour than among adults (Chilman, 1983). Thus earlier education of accurate information may in part combat these developmental limitations.