Читать книгу Counseling the Contemporary Woman - Suzanne Degges-White - Страница 58

With the onset of puberty, young adolescent girls typically begin to explore their sexuality and sexual identity (Collins & Steinberg, 2006). Sexual identity is often more fluid among adolescents than some might expect (Stewart, Spivey, Widman, Choukas-Bradley, & Prinstein, 2019). In fact, approximately a quarter of the adolescent girls in Stewart et al.’s (2019) study reported fluidity in their sexual identity over a course of three years. These adolescent females reported fluidity in their sexual and romantic attractions and this supports earlier findings from Savin-Williams and Ream (2007). They reported that around 50 percent of adolescents have some form of sexual experience with same-sex peers. The development of an adolescent’s sexual orientation, whether for same or opposite sex partners, is typically a central feature of sexual development and romantic and sexual relationships generally are concentrated foci for adolescents.

Most identity development theories include some elements of exploration and commitment. The same applies to sexual identity development. For gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents, sexual questioning and disclosure have been identified by Savin-Williams and Diamond (2000) as two central identity development processes. These developmental processes resemble exploration and commitment stages of other identity development; however, individuals’ paths through such phases might be extremely diverse, related to gender, minority status, religion, socioeconomic status, and parental acceptance or rejection. Moreover, individual case histories suggest that sexual identity and orientation can evolve and change across the lifespan (Lips, 1997). For example, some women transition to lesbian identity in adulthood; other lesbian women transition to heterosexual identity later in life (Bart, 1993). The time and nature of sexual identity development varies despite the fact that young adolescent girls begin to disclose their sexual orientation shortly after puberty or toward the end of adolescence (Broderick & Blewitt, 2014). Many adolescent girls struggle to come to terms with their own sexual orientation, especially when it is not one that they feel will be accepted by family or peers. Therefore, clinicians need to be knowledgeable about and sensitive to issues related to such complex identity development when working with their clients. They also must be prepared to help clients who are wrestling with exploration and experimentation with sexual partners of any gender.

Given our cultural focus on sexuality, it is not surprising that adolescents are sexually active, but there have been shifts in the prevalence of sexual activity among this age group. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Kann et al., 2018), the percentage of ninth- through twelfth-grade students who reported having sexual intercourse has decreased (47 percent in 2007 compared to 40 percent in 2017). Ten percent of high school students reported having four or more sexual partners, and 30 percent reported having had sexual intercourse during the previous three months. Of these adolescents, 46 percent did not use a condom, 14 percent did not use any form of contraception, and 19 percent had used alcohol or drugs prior to their most recent incidence of sexual intercourse. Although there has been a decline in sexual intercourse, young adolescents are engaging in sexual experimentation in greater numbers and at earlier age than generations before them (Zimmer-Gembeck & Helfand, 2008). Even though sexual intercourse may be less frequent for teens, risks for sexually transmitted diseases are still a concern. Thus, clinicians may need to provide adolescent clients with information on preventing disease as well as preventing unwanted pregnancies. In addition to changing relationships with potential sexual partners, family relationships may also be an area of concern for adolescent girls.