Sexual problems, such as erectile dysfunction, low desire, and difficulty reaching orgasm, are fairly common among middle to late adolescents, according to Canadian researchers.
They believed their study to be the first to examine the prevalence and nature of sexual problems affecting adolescents between the ages of 16 and 21 years.
Many adolescents are not well-educated on sexuality and are unable to effectively assess and get help for sexual issues.
In addition, many sexual problems that adults consider “dysfunction” are deemed “normative” when applied to adolescents, the study authors said.
This study involved 114 males and 144 females who had had oral, vaginal, or anal sex with a partner during the previous four weeks. All participants lived in Canada. Almost 70% of them were full-time students. Eighty-nine percent were heterosexual and about 68% said they were in a committed romantic relationship. Their mean age was 19.2.
The participants provided information on their sexual histories, including their total number of sexual partners, ages at which they had first engaged in oral, vaginal, or anal sex, and the type and frequency of sexual activities (kissing, touching genitals, etc.) they had experienced during the past month.
A portion of the Sexual Experiences Survey was used to evaluate past sexual coercion, if any.
To assess sexual function, males completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT). For females, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used.
Both males and females were given the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS). Even though this tool was designed for women, the researchers still considered it suitable for measuring sexual distress in their sample.
Scores on these various assessments were compared to the scores of adults reported in previous research, as there were no adolescent data available for comparison. Participants were categorized by whether or not they had a sexual problem. Subjects who did have problems were divided into two groups: those who felt distress and those who did not.
For the entire sample, the median number of sexual partners was 3. On average, males had more partners (5.71) than females (4.31). Over a third of the adolescents had had at least one sexual coercion incident since age 14. Sexual coercion was more common among females than males.
Fifty-one percent of the entire study population reported a sexual problem. This rate was higher than the rate found in adult samples. For males, the most common problems were erectile dysfunction and low desire. For females, low desire and orgasm difficulty were common. Fifty percent of those reporting sexual problems had clinical levels of distress.
The researchers were not sure why they saw such high rates of sexual problems in this adolescent group. However, they pointed out the different ways that male and female adolescents are socialized. They explained that traditionally, women are brought up to be sexually passive, while men are expected to be sexually aggressive. Future research could look at this issue more closely, they said.
They also considered that sexual problems may last longer in women than in men. It could also be possible that men “outgrow” their sexual issues more easily than women as they become more sexually experienced.
The authors acknowledged limitations to the study. The measures used to assess sexual function among these adolescents were actually designed and validated for adults. It is unclear to what extent these age groups can be compared. Also, because of limited experience, the adolescents may have interpreted their experiences differently than adults would have. That the study sample was fairly homogeneous was another limitation. A more ethnically diverse group may have had different results.
Still, the study results “suggest a need for prevention efforts, through sex education and through the Internet, aimed at providing youth with age-appropriate information that they need to prevent the development of these problems,” the authors wrote.
“This study makes clear that adolescents need to be provided with youth-friendly information about how to deal with sexual problems when they do arise both to decrease their distress as well as to ensure that these problems do not become entrenched,” they added.
The study was first published online in January in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Resources
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
O’Sullivan, Lucia F., PhD, et al.
“Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Functioning among Sexually Experienced Middle to Late Adolescents”
(Full-text. First published online: January 12, 2014)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.12419/abstract