According to research to be presented the 18th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice this week in Vienna, a sample of at-risk teenage girls in Florida reported that movies, TV shows, and song lyrics helped shape their impression that casual sex is commonplace and ordinary.

In the study, 20 females ages 14-18 incarcerated at the Okeechobee-based at-risk intervention facility VisionQuest were interviewed by Josie Weiss of Florida Atlantic University-Treasure Coast (FAU-TC). All the teens were sexually experienced; many had had unplanned and unprotected sex. While teachers and parents might promote responsible sexual decision-making, that was not the message that ultimately shaped teens' attitudes, according to the study. [and then we wonder why it is so difficult to get kids to change their behavior. du-h-h-h -Linda]

"It's contrary to what many adults think. We don't think sex is normal for teens," said Weiss, who is an FAU-TC assistant nursing professor. "I think there are high-risk kids everywhere in every community in every school. If this group feels this way, other kids probably feel this way."

Weiss hopes the study encourages parents to communicate with their kids about sex to counteract the problem.

Of high school seniors, 60 percent are sexually active, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Sexual activity has increased among youths 14 and younger in recent years, the organization said.

FAIR USE NOTICE:
This website contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of youth development, character-based teen sexuality education, marriage, family breakdown, etc. We understand this constitutes a 'fair use' of such material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.