Oral sex among teenagers: research, discourse, and education.(SIECCAN NEWSLETTER)

The issue of teens and oral sex has appeared on the radar screens of public and media consciousness rather abruptly. The more level-headed among us may ask whether all the talk about oral sex among teens reflects a recent major shift in adolescent behaviour (i.e., a "new teen sexual revolution") or an example of unwarranted media induced anxiety, or a combination of both. It should be stated, from the onset, that nearly all the reports in the media about an "outbreak" of oral sex among teens, and especially young teens, are based almost entirely on anecdotal accounts and speculation. Although well-conducted survey research that allows young people to anonymously report their sexual behaviour may not always be methodologically perfect, it is almost certainly a more reliable way to obtain an accurate gage of adolescent sexual behaviour than is the television camera or journalist's interview with a group of self-selected teen informants where a social desirability bias is much more likely to be present. What does the available research tell us about oral sex among teens?

Oral Sex and Teens: What the Research Says

The Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study (Boyce, Doherty, Fortin, & MacKinnon, 2003) included a sample of just over 11,000 Canadian Grade 7, 9, and 11 students. The Grade 9 and 11 students were asked about their practice of specific sexual behaviours. The survey was conducted in 2002. At that time, 32% of Grade 9 males, 28% of Grade 9 females, 53% of Grade 11 males, and 52% of Grade 11 females reported that they had engaged in oral sex at least once (Boyce et al, 2003). How does this compare to the past? A similar study involving Canadian youth conducted in 1992 found that 27% of Grade 9 males, 21% of Grade 9 females, 48% of Grade 11 males, and 47% …