TEENS & SEX – GENERAL RESEARCH (Josh McDowell research 2005 and prior) “MARRIED COUPLES SATISFACTION” “Married couples are more satisfied with their sex lives than sexually active singles.” (Perlman, Abramson, 1982, UCLA Psychology, p43) ______________________ “RISK FACTORS:” “Alcohol use” “Steady boyfriend or girlfriend” “Low parental involvement in child’s life” “Parents who think teen sexual activity is okay” “Low grade average” “History of physical and/or sexual abuse” “Lack of concern about future” “Lack of community monitoring.” (Small, et al., 1994, p. 23) “Sexually Active:” “Girls With No Risk Factors………1%” “3 Risk Factors……………………42%” “8 Risk Factors……………………80%” (Small, et al., 1994, p. 23) “Sexually Active:” “Boys With No Risk Factors………15%” “3 Risk Factors…………………….55%” “8 Risk Factors…………………….93%” Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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(Small, et al., 1994, p23) ______________________ “2004 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION SPEECHES” “Senator John McCain” “After years of failed diplomacy and limited military pressure to restrain Saddam Hussein, President Bush made the difficult decision to liberate Iraq. Those who criticize that decision would have us believe that the choice was between a status quo that was well enough left alone and war. But there was no status quo to be left alone.” “The years of keeping Saddam in a box were coming to a close. The international consensus that he be kept isolated and unarmed had eroded to the point that many critics of military action had decided the time had come again to do business with Saddam, despite his near daily attacks on our pilots, and his refusal, until his last day in power, to allow the unrestricted inspection of his arsenal.” “Our choice wasn't between a benign status quo and the bloodshed of war. It was between war and a graver threat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not our critics abroad. Not our political opponents.” “And certainly not a disingenuous film maker who would have us believe that Saddam's Iraq was an oasis of peace when in fact it was a place of indescribable cruelty, torture chambers, mass graves and prisons that destroyed the lives of the small children held inside their walls.” “Whether or not Saddam possessed the terrible weapons he once had and used, freed from international pressure and the threat of military action, he would have acquired them again.” (Senator John McCain’s speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention, August 30,2004, http://www.2004nycgop.org/cgi-data/speeches/files/oi07hf896nd7in9fr129gu4t5jv74i7m.shtml) “Honorable Rudy Giuliani” “Terrorism did not start on September 11,2001.” “It has been festering for many years. And the world had created a response to it that allowed it to succeed. The attack on the Israeli team at the Munich Olympics was in 1972. And the pattern had already begun.” “The three surviving terrorists were arrested and within two months released by the German Government.” “Action like this became the rule, not the exception. Terrorists came to learn they could attack and often not face consequences.” Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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“In 1985, terrorists attacked the Achile Laure and murdered an American citizen who was in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer.” “They marked him for murder solely because he was Jewish.” “It doesn’t matter what the media does to ridicule him [President George W. Bush] or misinterpret him or defeat him.” “They ridiculed Winston Churchill, They belittled Ronal Reagan.” (Honorable Rudy Giuliani’s speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention, August 30, 2004, http://www.2004nycgop.org/cgidata/speeches/files/oi07hf896nd7in9fr129gu4t5jv74i7m.shtml) ______________________ “A WINDOW INTO A CUTTER’S WORLD” “Experts call cutting ‘the new anorexia’ because, like an eating disorder, it is a self-destructive attempt to control painful thoughts and unexpressed emotions. Current research places the number of self-injurers at about 4 percent of the general population, and as many as 10 percent of American teenage girls. Cutting is the most common form of self-harm, but up to 75 percent of all cutters rely on diverse methods, such as burning, pulling hair or punching walls.” “The late Princess Diana shed light on cutting during a highly publicized 1995 BBC interview. She explained, ‘you have so much pain inside yourself that you try to hurt yourself on the outside because you want help.’” “Teens turn to self-injury as a way of dealing with emotional stress, usually stumbling upon selfabuse in a moment of desperation, rather than out of suggestion. A teen named Jamie said of her first experience, ’It happened spontaneously. I picked up a piece of broken glass and cut my arm twice. It made me feel better because I could focus on one thing, injuring myself instead of things that I couldn’t control around me. That was something that I could control.’” “They often can’t explain why they cut, or may simply lack the words to express themselves. ‘They have no language for their own feelings,’ says psychotherapist Steven Levenkron. “Cutting is the replacement for the absent language.’” “Journalist Marilee strong, who interviewed more than 50 cutters for her book, A Bright Red Scream, says of self-injurers, ‘[They] are often bright, talented, creative achievers— perfectionists who push themselves beyond all human bounds, people-pleasers who cover their pain with a happy face.’” “A common thread among self-abusers is that they’ve lost sight of the truth. One female cutter explains it this way: ‘When you construct your worldview on a series of misunderstandings, it’s
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like building a skyscraper with the foundation out of plumb. A fractional misalignment at the bottom becomes a whopping divergence by the time you get to the top.’” “I spent 10 years as a cutter. But that’s not who I am today. Four years ago I told my roommate about my problem, which started me down the road to emotional recovery. With the help of friends and loved ones, I began to experience the truth of Christ’s love. I remained blinded by deception until I believed the truth that God loved me passionately and created me for a purpose (Jer. 29:11). The secrecy ended. My wounds healed. And although some days can be a trial, I’ve never regretted my decision to walk away.” (Nelson, Rachel, “A Window Into a Cutter’s World,” Plugged In, Vol. 8, No. 7, July 2003) ______________________ “AFFLUENT ADOLESCENTS, DEPRESSION, AND DRUG USE: THE ROLE OF ADULTS IN THEIR LIVES” “Perceived parental closeness played a mediating role in reducing depressive symptomology and drug use. Other adult supports showed neither mediating nor moderating effect on adjustment. Data show that the presence of other adult supports in the context of low parental closeness actually exacerbates, not moderates, maladjustment.” “Affluent suburban adolescents have been shown to be at greater risk for depression and drug use than are both middle-class and lower-class samples of youth (Luthar & D'Avanzo, 1999).” “Among both high school and middle school students, upper SES (Socioeconomic Status) adolescents are more likely to become depressed and use illegal substances than are their lower income counterparts (Luthar & D'Avanzo, 1999).” “The more affluent adolescents reported using drugs as a means to ‘escape from problems’ or ‘relax.’ In general, affluent teens were more likely to use drugs as a way to cope with distress. Urban adolescents typically reported using drugs because of peer pressure or to have fun. These findings are consistent with those of Luthar and D'Avanzo (1999) who suggest that affluent youth use drugs to alleviate personal distress.” “Depressed adolescents are more likely than those nodepressed counterparts to experience depression as adults.” “In addition to an increased risk of developing major depression disorder in the future, some common adult psychosocial outcomes of adolescent depression include: poor functioning in the nature and quality of romantic relationships and academics (Rao et al., 1999); lower educational achievement (Rao et al., 1995); general social impairment in areas of work and family (Weissman et al., 1999; lack of school completion, increased drug use, and an increased likelihood of being pregnant before age 21 (Bardone et al., 1996); impairment in relationships with friends, lower overall satisfaction with life, and lower global functioning (Rao et al., 1995); and elevated risks of psychiatric hospitalization (Harrington et al., 1990).”
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“Evidence of substance use in early adolescence has been shown to predict late adolescent substance use and adult maladjustment.” “The importance of research on the risk and protective factors of adolescent depression and substance use remains high.” “According to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001), youths of ages 12-17 years in the United States whose families make over $100,000 a year report feeling very close to their parents less than do all other teens from various socioeconomic backgrounds, including youths from families making less than $10,000 a year (78% vs. 64% for mothers; 66% vs. 53% for fathers).” “Affluent teens reporting suggest that this population is potentially at risk for maladjustment and warrants future study.” “Given finding in a national survey of teens that adolescents form the wealthiest families report feeling less close to their parents (DHHS-Department of Health and Human Service-1999).”
“First, based on prior research by Luthar and Becket (2002), we expect maternal closeness to be the most important predictor of psychological adjustment outcomes in this population.”
“Second, by testing the main effect of social support on well-being, it is hypothesized that there will be a negative linear relationship between the number of domains of perceived adult supports and the outcome variables of depression and substance use, with more domains of perceived adult supports leading to better outcomes. Each domain of support will be specifically examined for main effects on the adjustment outcomes.”
“Third, by investigating a moderator model of support, because adolescents with low perceived maternal closeness are expected to benefit most from other adult supports, we hypothesize that this will lead to reduced depressive symptoms and drug use.”
“Fourth, it is hypothesized that in our sample of affluent adolescents, peers will not play a protective role in adolescent adjustment since the literature, while indicating the importance of peers in social domains (Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 1998; Coie, Dodge, & Kupersmidt, 1990), reveals negative effects of peer support on psychological wellbeing of adolescents regardless of socioeconomic status (DuBois et al., 1992; Luthar, 1995; Fordham & Ogbu, 1986; Cauce, Hannan, & Sargeant, 1992). Finally, following recent findings on the importance of fathers in child outcomes (Tamis-LeMonda & Cabrera, 2002), analyses will be run with mother and father closeness separately to explore their individual contributions to adjustment outcomes for male and female adolescents.”
“For boys and girls, father and mother closeness were significantly related to lower self-reported depression symptomology and drug use.”
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“For girls, mom support was significantly related to lower levels of depression and substance use. Dad support was related only to lower levels of substance use. Boys, on the other hand, reported significantly lower levels of depression when reporting morn and dad support, there were no statistically significant associations between substance uses and parental support. Other family members were not significantly related to the two adjustment outcomes.” “Peers, whom many youth reported going to in times of need, showed no relationship to adjustment outcomes for girls. For boys, the negative relationship between peer support and depression was moderate.” “Maternal closeness for girls has significant main effects for depression and substance use (see Table 4). No significant main effects of maternal closeness were indicated for boys. Father closeness, on the other hand, was predictive of depression for boys, but not substance use. Father closeness was also a significant predictor of girls' depression, but not substance use.” “While there were several significant interactions between parental closeness and adult social supports predicting both depression and drug use for boys and girls (Table 4), evidence of adult social supports buffering against low parental closeness, leading to lower levels of maladjustment was minimal.” “There was an interaction effect for boys whereby high maternal closeness in conjunction with low father closeness predicted increased levels of depression.” “For both, substance use for girls, and depression symptomology for boys, appeared to be exacerbated when these youth reported low parental closeness in conjunction with high other adult family support. Additionally, boys who reported feeling less close to their mother, but who go to other adults when personally troubled, reported the highest levels of substance use.” “The best predictor of adjustment for males and females was parental closeness.” “Neither mother nor father closeness exhibited a mediating effects on boy’s substance use.” “An examination of whether one parent could buffer against the effects of low reported closeness to the other parent, revealed that there were no buffering effects for boys or girls. Boys actually reported higher levels of depressive symptomology when they perceived high maternal closeness in the context of low father closeness.” “Girls are most likely to turn to a same-aged peer when distressed (63.3%) even though peer support is not associated with adjustment outcomes.” “In the current study, low parental closeness was considered as the stressor, given the importance of parents in the lives of their adolescents (Steinberg, 2002), and it was hypothesized that other adult supports would provide a buffer against low parental closeness, resulting in lower levels of depressive symptomology and substance use. While two cases of buffering were found for substance use, none were indicated for depression. In fact, other adult supports, in the context of low parental closeness were associated with increased rates of depressive symptomology.”
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“In the present study, girls reported going to peers more often than any other support when personally troubled, but yet peers had no effect on girls’ self-reported depression or drug use.” (Bogard, Kimber L., ‘Affluent Adolescents, Depression, and Drug Use: The Role of Adults in Their Lives,’ Pediatrics-High Beam Research, June 22, 2005) ______________________ “ALL OR NOTHING IN COLLEGE DATING?” “Forty percent of college students reported having ‘hooked up.’” (Time, August 6) (“All or Nothing in College Dating?” Youthworker, November/December 2001, p14) ______________________ “ANTI-FAMILY AGENDA BECOMES LAW IN CALIFORNIA” “Sb 231: School-Based Health Clinics (Signed into law)” “This bill is cleverly worded to increase medical and mental health services provided by schoolbased health clinics by seeking reimbursement from the federal government for those services. Included in the services provided by school-based clinics is the ability to refer children as young as 12 for birth control, abortions, drug and alcohol and mental health counseling — all without parental notification or permission." (Pete Winn & Kristie Rutherford, "Anti-Family Agenda Becomes Law in California", Citizen Link, October 16, 2001 http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0018150.html) ______________________ “EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: SEXUAL RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS FACTORS AFFECTING TEEN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, PREGNANCY, CHILDBEARING AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE: WHICH ARE IMPORTANT? WHICH CAN YOU CHANGE?” “1) What factors influence adolescents’ decisions about sex? 2) Which of these factors can be altered?” “Risk factors are those that encourage behavior that could result in a pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease/” “Protective factors are those that discourage behavior that could lead to a pregnancy or STD” “More than 400 factors are identified that affect one or more sexual behaviors” “Communities, families, friends, and peers, romantic partners, and the teens themselves” “Factors also involve teens’ relationships with these important individuals” Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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“Dysfunction in the lives of the teens themselves and their environments (e.g. rates of substance abuse, violence, and divorce; also levels of education.” “Sexual values, attitudes, and modeled behavior (e.g. teens’ own values about sexual behavior as well as those expressed by parents, peers, and romantic partners)” “Connection to adults and organizations that discourage sex, unprotected sex, or early childbearing. (e.g. attachment to parents…)” “+ Live with two biological parents” “ - Family disruption (e.g., divorce or change to single parent household)” “+ Higher level or parental education” “- Household substance abuse (alcohol or drugs)” “+ Higher quality family interactions…” “ + Greater parental supervision and monitoring” “- Mother’s early age at first birth” “+ Parental disapproval of premarital sex or teen sex” “+ Greater parent/child communication” “- Peers’ alcohol use” “- Peer’s pro-childbearing attitudes” “+ Positive peer norms” “- Having a romantic or sexual partner who is older” “+ Greater connectedness to school” “ + Higher academic performance” “+ High educational aspirations” “+ Having a religious affiliation” + More frequent religious attendance”
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“- Alcohol use” “- Drug use” “- Being part of a gang” “- Working for pay more than 20 hours per week” “+ Involvement in sports (females only)” “- Thoughts of suicide” “+ Greater perceived male responsibility” “+ More Positive attitudes” “+ More perceived benefits” “+ Greater perceived negative consequences of pregnancy” “+ Greater motivation to avoid pregnancy, HIV and other STD” “+ Live with two parents (vs one parent or stepparents)” (Douglas Kirby, Ph.D., Gina Lepore, B.A., Jennifer, M.A., “Sexual Risk and Protective Factors Factors Affecting Teen sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, Childbearing And Sexually Transmitted Disease: Which Are Important? Which Can You Change?” The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, September 2005) ______________________ “FAR EAST MOVES WEST” “Asian Break Down” “The majority of Asian Americans are of Chinese origin.” “11,868,980 Americans are of Asian (only) descent.” (Current Population Survey - CPS) “12,870,454 Americans are Asian, as well as another racial group.” (CPS) “35 MILLION Asians are projected to be living in the U.S. by 2050.” (USCB) “213 PERCENT. The census projection for the growth in the Asian American population between 2000 and 2050; the entire American population is only projected to grow by 50 percent.” (USCB)
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“4,116,00. The number of Asian Americans living in California in 2003, the largest Asian American population of any state. Wyoming had the smallest Asian American population at just 2,250.” (American Community Survey -ACS) “$24,900 The average personal income of an Asian American. This ethnic group has the highest average personal income of any race.” (CPS) “7 DIVISIONS. The different origins of Asian Americans: Asian Indian, Chinese (except Taiwanese), Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Other Asian.” (USCB) “2.8 MILLION. The number of Chinese Americans, the largest Asian American subgroup in the U.S.” (ACS) “10 PERCENT of Asians or Pacific Islanders in America smoke cigarettes.” (Simmons Market Research Bureau) “33 YEARS OLD. The median age of the Asian (only) population.” (USCB) “37 PERCENT of Asian American households traveled in the past month, the only minority group more likely to have traveled than the national average of 31 percent.” (The Minority Traveler, 2003 - TMT) “3 IN 10. Asian American person-trips include air transportation.” (TMT) “1 IN 7 traveling Asian American households spends $1,000 or more per trip, not including transportation to the destination.” (TMT) “70 PERCENT of English-speaking Asian Americans go online on a typical day.” (Pew Internet & American Life Project: Asian-Americans and the Internet - AAI) “34 PERCENT of Asian American Internet users get their daily news online, compared with 22 percent of whites, 20 percent of Hispanics and 15 percent of African American Internet users.” (AAI) “53.3 PERCENT of Asian Americans over the age of 25 are married and live with their spouse.” (USCB) “95 PERCENT of Asian Americans over 25 live in metro areas, either in the main center of the city or in the nearby suburbs.” (USCB) “81 PERCENT of Asians say saving for a child's education is extremely/very important, compared with 76 percent of non-Asians.” (Cultural Access Group/Interviewing Service of America AAMR Study 2004 - CAG/ISA) “82 PERCENT of Asian Americans own a car, compared with 63 percent of African Americans and 72 percent of Hispanics.” (CAG/ISA) Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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“3.7 TRIPS PER YEAR are taken, on average, by Asian Indians, the most frequent domestic travelers of all ethnicities. Japanese Americans appear to be the most frequent international travelers (2.3 trips per year).” (CAG/ISA) “56 PERCENT of Chinese Americans say McDonalds is their most frequented fast-food restaurant.” (CAG/ISA) (Christopher Reynolds, “Far East Moves West,” America Demographics, October 2004, p56, http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4021/is_8_26/ai_n6220886) ______________________ “GROWING UP LONELY: EXAMINING TEEN ALIENATION” “The resulting data suggest that most teens are content with who they are. When given a choice between two statements, 81% of teens chose the statement, ‘I would choose my life the way it is right now,’ while only 17% thought the statement, ‘I wish I were somebody else,’ better described their feelings.” (Linda Lyons, “Growing Up Lonely: Examining Teen Alienation,” Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, February 3, 2004, www.gallup.com/content/print.asp?ci=10465) ______________________ “HOOKING UP, HANGING OUT, AND HOPING FOR MR. RIGHT: COLLEGE WOMEN ON DATING AND MATING TODAY” “Too little commitment (‘hooking up’) or too much (‘joined at the hip’)” “Somewhat surprisingly, the study also finds that marriage is a major goal for the majority of today’s college women and most would like to meet a spouse while at college. Eighty-three percent of respondents in the national survey agreed that ‘Being married is a very important goal for me,’ and 63 percent agreed that ‘I would like to meet my future husband in college.’ There is little consideration, however, by either these students or the adults around them of how their current social experience might help or hinder them in realizing this goal.” “More than half of [university] women interviewed in the study (54%) agreed that ‘My parents have more influence than my friends on how I think about relationships and men.’ Many parents are clearly trying to instill expectations and values regarding sex, love, commitment, and marriage in their daughters. Eighty-two percent of respondents agreed that ‘my parents raised me with firm expectations about relationships with guys’ and 74% agreed, ‘My parents have told me that I should save sex for marriage.’ Since a surprising number of these college women have not had sexual intercourse (39% of the national survey and 31 percent of the senior women) and most have high aspirations for marriage, it appears that what their parents say and do can have some degree of protective effect.”
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(“Hooking Up, Hanging Out, and Hoping for Mr. Right: College Women on Mating and Dating Today,” www.americanvalues.org/html/pr_hooking_up.shtml) ______________________ “IS A NEW IRANIAN MISSILE A POTENTIAL THREAT TO EUROPE?” “This is a partial transcript from ‘Hannity & Colmes,’ Dec. 2, 2004, that has been edited for clarity.” “KAY: I wouldn't argue that we took our eye off the ball. I think there were — given the state of evidence we had, which now we know was wrong, it was a compelling case, I think, for moving against Iraq.” “We couldn't do — you know, it looked like you had 16 U.N. resolutions that had been ignored. And believe me, I've read the intelligence, not just U.S. intelligence but that from western European countries, from Russia. Everyone believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. We were all wrong.” “COLMES: But shouldn't we have known that? And shouldn't we have then focused our energies on the countries you're now talking about? And why did we ignore Iran all these years?” “KAY: We should have known it. But we didn't know it, because we had no human intelligence inside Iraq, just like we have none inside Iran, apparently. And we're having to rely on the MEK, a terrorist group.” “KAY: He continued to import prohibited items. He carried out research programs that he did not report to the U.N. in the weapons areas.” (“Is A New Iranian Missile a Potential Threat to Europe?,” Fox News, December 3, 2004, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,140470,00.html) ______________________ “ONLY TWO PERCENT OF WOMEN DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS BEAUTIFUL” “Dove ® unveils a groundbreaking new study today that discusses the implications of a global society that narrowly defines beauty by the images seen in entertainment, advertising and fashion runways and the startling impact this has on women. The result: only two percent of thousands of women from 10 countries around the world consider themselves beautiful. Does this mean that we live in a world where women are not beautiful or does it mean that women around the world are calling for a broader definition of beauty?” “Beauty: The Eye of the Beholder” “The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report uncovers startling information about how women physically perceive and define their look. Supporting the current and narrow definition of
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beauty, the respondents are hesitant to claim ownership of the word ‘beauty,’ with more than 40 percent strongly agreeing that they do not feel comfortable describing themselves as beautiful.” “Furthermore, only five percent feel comfortable describing themselves as pretty and a mere nine percent feel comfortable describing themselves as attractive. Additionally, just 13 percent of women say they are very satisfied with their beauty; 12 percent say they are very satisfied with their physical attractiveness; 17 percent are very satisfied with their facial attractiveness; and only 13 percent are very satisfied with their body weight and shape. In fact, in a society captivated by diet and makeover programs, a third of women around the world are very or somewhat dissatisfied with their body weight. The women of Japan have the highest levels of dissatisfaction at 59 percent – followed by Brazil (37%), United Kingdom (36%) and the United States (36%), Argentina (27%) and the Netherlands (25%).” (“Only Two Percent of Women Describe Themselves as Beautiful.” September 29, 2004, http://www.dove.com/real_beauty/news.asp?id=566) ______________________ “ORLEANS BREAKING NEWS” “I've got a report of 200 bodies in the Dome,’ Beron recalls the doctor saying.” “The real total was six, Beron said.” “Of those, four died of natural causes, one overdosed and another jumped to his death in an apparent suicide, said Beron, who personally oversaw the turning over of bodies from a Dome freezer, where they lay atop melting bags of ice. State health department officials in charge of body recovery put the official death count at the Dome at 10, but Beron said the other four bodies were found in the street near the Dome, not inside it. Both sources said no one had been killed inside.” “At the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, just four bodies were recovered, despite reports of corpses piled inside the building. Only one of the dead appeared to have been slain, said health and law enforcement officials.” “That the nation's front-line emergency management believed the body count would resemble that of a bloody battle in a war is but one of scores of examples of myths about the Dome and the Convention Center treated as fact by evacuees, the media and even some of New Orleans' top officials, including the mayor and police superintendent. As the fog of warlike conditions in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath has cleared, the vast majority of reported atrocities committed by evacuees have turned out to be false, or at least unsupported by any evidence, according to key military, law enforcement, medical and civilian officials in positions to know.” “In interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Compass reported rapes of ‘babies,’ and Mayor Ray Nagin spoke of ‘hundreds of armed gang members’ killing and raping people inside the Dome. Unidentified evacuees told of children stepping over so many bodies, ‘we couldn't count.’”
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“The picture that emerged was one of the impoverished, masses of flood victims resorting to utter depravity, randomly attacking each other, as well as the police trying to protect them and the rescue workers trying to save them. Nagin told Winfrey the crowd has descended to an ‘almost animalistic state.’” “Doug Thornton, regional vice president of SMG, which manages the Dome, walked the complex from before the storm until the final evacuation and kept a meticulous journal. In a Sept. 9 interview, he said he heard reports of rapes and killings, but they were unconfirmed and came from evacuees and security officials.” “‘We walked through the facility every day, and we didn't see all this that was being reported,’ said Thornton, one of about 35 Dome employees who rode out Katrina in the building and lived there in the days after the storm hit. ‘We never felt threatened. It's hard to determine what's real and what's not real.’” “Numerous people told The Times-Picayune that they had witnessed rapes, in particular attacks on two young girls in the Superdome ladies room and the killing of one of them, but police and military officials said they know nothing of such an incident.” “Compass told Winfrey on Sept. 6 that ‘some of the little babies (are) getting raped’ in the Dome. Nagin backed it with his own tale of horrors: ‘They have people standing out there, have been in that frickin' Superdome for five days watching dead bodies, watching hooligans killing people, raping people.’” “Compass told Winfrey on Sept. 6 that ‘some of the little babies (are) getting raped’ in the Dome. Nagin backed it with his own tale of horrors: ‘They have people standing out there, have been in that frickin' Superdome for five days watching dead bodies, watching hooligans killing people, raping people.’” “Compass, however, promulgated some of the unfounded rumors himself, in interviews in which he characterized himself and his officers as outgunned warriors taking out armed bands of thugs at every turn.” “‘People would be shooting at us, and we couldn't shoot back because of the families,’ Compass told a reporter from the (Bridgeport) Connecticut Post who interviewed him at the Saints' Monday Night Football game in New York, where he was the guest of NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. ‘All we could do is rush toward the flash.’” “Compass added that he and his officers succeeded in wrestling 30 weapons from criminals using the follow-the-muzzle-flash technique, the story said.” “‘We got 30 that way,’ Compass was quoted as saying.” (Brian Thevenot and Gordon Russell, “Rumors of Deaths Greatly Exaggerated,” Orleans Breaking News, September 26, 2005,
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http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_26 .html) ______________________ “POLL EXPOSES SEX EDUCATORS’ HYPOCRISY” “For decades, condom based sex education advocates have claimed that parents overwhelmingly favor schools teaching kids the most graphic aspects of sexuality. That’s one justification they’ve used to convince the U.S. government to give them more than $200 million a year.” “But there’s a problem. A recent poll shows that when parents are told exactly what their kids are being taught under the umbrella of ‘comprehensive sex education,’ most of them disapprove – while 73 percent support abstinence-until-marriage education.” (“Poll exposes sex educators’ hypocrisy,” citizen, (May 2003):10) ______________________ “PRIMETIME LIVE POLL: AMERICA SEX SURVEY” “Among the results: Fifty-seven percent of Americans have had sex outdoors or in a public place. Half talk with their partners about their sexual fantasies. Forty-two percent call themselves sexually adventurous. Twenty-nine percent have had sex on a first date, and about as many have had an ‘unexpected sexual encounter with someone new.’ Fifteen percent of men -- and three in 10 single men age 30 and older -- have paid for sex. About half of women say they've faked an orgasm.” Americans' Sexual Behavior Sex outdoors Discuss fantasies Faked orgasm (women) Sexually adventurous First-date sex Paid for sex (men) Paid for sex (single men, 30+)
57% 51 48 42 29 15 30
“Two-thirds of sexually active Americans sometimes ‘wear something sexy’ to enhance their sex lives, and 30 percent say they and their partner have watched sexually explicit videos. One in five -- around 40 million people -- say they've looked at porn Web sites. As many, men and women about equally, have had ‘rebound’ sex to get over a failed relationship.” Sex and the Gender Gap
Think about sex every day
Men 70%
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Enjoy sex a ‘great deal’
83
59
Total Number of Sex Partners Average 13 20 6
All Men Women
Median 5 8 3
Total Number of Sex Partners
One 2-4 5-10 11-20 21+
All 19% 25 28 12 12
Men 12 16 26 18 20
Women 25 33 29 6 4
Sex Lives Very satisfied 77% 53 46 3
Married/committed under 30 Singles under 30 All 30 and older Less often
Very exciting 55 36 33 24
The Spark: Sex Lives of Marrieds Married < 3 years Married > 10 years Have sex at least several times 72% 32 a week Sex life very exciting 58 29 Enjoy sex a great deal 87 70 Cheaters by Age Age 18-29 30-39 40-49 50+
Cheated 8% 11 15 21
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Churchgoers vs Others
Homosexuality is OK Visited porn site First-date sex Discuss fantasies
Attend church weekly 31% 10 14 45
Few times/ month 57 19 35 58
Less often/ never 70 29 37 52
(Gary Langer, Cherie Arnedt, Dalia Sussman, “Primetime Live poll: American Sex Survey,” ABC News/Primetime, October 22, 2004, http://www.abcnews.go.com/Primetime/print?id=156921) ______________________ “SEXUAL RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS FACTORS AFFECTING TEEN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, PREGNANCY, CHILDBEARING AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE: WHICH ARE IMPORTANT? WHICH CAN YOU CHANGE?” “Many factors affect those choices. Parents,” “to affect factors such as the teens’ values about sexual behavior, their perceptions of family values” “Their educational and career plans, or their connection to their parents, their schools, and their faith communities” “First people can use these factors to identify those teens at greater risk” “Hormonal changes and puberty are factors casually affecting sexual initiation” “Having less permissive attitudes toward premarital sex may directly affect decisions about having sex at an early age.” “It is difficult for research to demonstrate causality” “If parents and other adults concerned with youth cannot directly change behavior” “This conclusion raises two very important questions:” 1. “Which factors have the greatest causal impact on adolescent sexual behaviors?” 2. “Which factors can be changed the most?” “400 different factors that affect one or more of the five important teen sexual behaviors (initiation of sex, frequency of sex, use of condoms, use of other contraception, and number of partners)” Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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“Nearly all youth experience pressures of some kinds to have sexual intercourse” “Community characteristics. The communities that teens live in influence their sexual behavior. In particular, if communities are disorganized - if they have higher rates of substance use, violence and hunger - then teens in those communities are more likely to engage in sex earlier and to have higher rates of childbearing.” “In addition, if teens live in communities with higher rates of foreign-born residents, then they are more likely to delay initiation of sex. According to at least one study, this may reflect the less permissive sexual values of the foreign-born parents.” “Even though average household income in a community (or its inverse – poverty) is commonly believed to be related to teen sexual behavior and its outcomes, the results in Matrix do not fully support this view.” “Only 6 of the 30 found it to be a protective factor…” “The family or individual factors appeared to be more important than the community factors.” “When teens live with both parents and enjoy close relationships with them, they are less likely to have unprotected sex and become pregnant. More specifically, when teens live with both biological parents (instead of only one parent or step-parents), they are less likely to have sex, have sex less frequently, and have fewer sexual partners.” “Finally, if parents divorce or separate, their teens are more likely to initiate sex at an early age than if their parents do not divorce or separate.” “If teens experience considerable parental support and feel connected to their parents, they are less likely to initiate sex at an early age and have sex less frequently.” “If family members abuse alcohol or illegal drugs, then teens have sex more frequently and with more partners.” “If family members, especially parents, express values or model behavior consistent with sexual risk taking or early childbearing, teens are more likely to have unprotected sex and become pregnant (or get their partners pregnant).” “If parents communicate their beliefs and values about sex, condoms and other forms of contraception’s, then under some circumstances this communication may lead to less sexual risktaking.” “This effect is most likely to occur when the teens is a daughter (as opposed to a son), when the parent is the mother (as opposed to the father), when the teens and their parents feels connected to one another, when the parents disapprove of teens having sex or support contraceptive use, and when parents can discuss sexuality in an open and comfortable manner.” Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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“Peer characteristics. As is commonly recognized, youth are influenced by their peers and peers influence teens’ sexual behavior.” “Characteristics of romantic partners. While simply having a romantic partner increases the chances of sexual activity, having an older romantic partner increases them even further.” “Some of the effects of factors related to age are strictly biological, including physical maturity and higher testosterone levels, which may lead to a greater desire for intimacy and sex and/or to greater sexual attractiveness. Other factors are social, such as, increased pressure from peers to have sex; changes in perceived norms about sexual and contraceptive behavior; and increased opportunities to have sex that come with greater freedom and independence as one ages.” “But rather the poverty and lack of opportunity that is often associated with being a member of those minority groups. However, the relationship between minority status and sexual behavior or teen pregnancy does not entirely disappear when controlling for socio-economic status.” “Connection to faith communities. Teens who describe themselves as more religious, who attend religious services more frequently, and who have a stronger religious affiliation are less likely to initiate sex. They also have sex less frequently if they do have sex. These associations are particularly strong if the teens are involved with faith communities with conservative values about sexual behavior.” “Involved in their communities and have mentors…” “Involvement in gangs.” “Alcohol and drug use.” “Paid work.” “A few studies have found that, for teen girls, but not teen boys, participation in sports is related to delayed initiation of sex, less frequent sex, greater us of contraception, and lower pregnancy rates.” “With a greater internal locus of control have sex less frequently” “A few studies, including some with large nationally representative samples, have found that self-esteem and positive self-concept are protective factors for initiation of sex” “At least one study even found that having sex can increase self-esteem” “A teen is three or more years older, then the teen is especially likely to have sex” “Prior sexual abuse is an especially important risk factor for early initiation of sex, greater number of sexual partners, poor condom use, poor contraceptive use, pregnancy, and sexually Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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transmitted disease. Youth who have been sexually abused have been exposed to a variety of risk factors. In addition, their past sexual abuse may distort their understanding of appropriate sexual and contraceptive behavior and may reduce their ability to reflect sex or to use contraception.” “Form of disadvantage, disorganization, or dysfunction among the teens’ communities, families or friends or within themselves.” “Low levels of education and income, single-parent homes, divorce, lack of family support” “Many factors involve the teens’ own values and attitudes about sexual behavior” “Their values and behavior, in turn, are affected by the values and norms either expressed verbally or modeled by the behavior of others. For example, parents’ values about premarital sex and contraception affect teens’ behavior, as do their mothers’ and siblings’ modeling of sex outside of marriage and early childbearing.” “Attachment to people or institutions that discourage sex” “That encourage responsibility” “also reduce sexual risk taking. Multiple studies show that when youth are more strongly attached to their parents, their schools, or their faith” “they are less likely to have sex and unprotected sex.” “when youth feel they have high quality interactions with their families, when they feel the support of their families, and when they feel connected to their families, they are less likely to have sex and to become pregnant.” “it is not attachment to parents alone that is important. Studies also demonstrate that connection to other groups or organizations that discourage sex” “When youth are attached to such entities, they may spend less time unsupervised and, consequently, have less opportunity to take sexual risks.” “Similarly, when teens are connected to their parents, if their parents have more permissive values about teens having sex, then teens are more likely to initiate sex early than if their parents have less permissive values. In sum, it is not attachment itself that appears to be important, but rather attachment to parents and organizations with responsible values about sexual behavior and childbearing.” “The implications of the four dominant themes identified in this report are that pregnancy and STD prevention initiatives need to address 1) socioeconomic disadvantage and dysfunction, 2) values and norms about sexual behavior, childbearing and sexually transmitted disease, and perceptions of those norms by youth, and/or 3) attachment to parents, groups or institutions that Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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emphasize responsible sexual behavior. For all practical purposes biological factors cannot be changed and, therefore, cannot be addressed in the same manner as the other factors.” “if they have the skills to resist unwanted sex” “However, intentions and skills do not always translate into behavior.” “greater perceived consequences of pregnancy; perceived male responsibility for pregnancy prevention (if male); greater motivation to avoid STD/HIV” “• Programs for parents about teen sexuality that help them communicate to their children their values about sexual behaviors and decision-making.” “• The majority of factors fall into one of four groups or themes: 1) biological factors such as age, physical maturity, and gender that cannot be changed; 2) disadvantage, disorganization and dysfunction in the lives of the teens and their families, peers, and communities, schools and-or communities; and 4) the teens’ connection to groups or institutions that discourage risky sexual behaviors and/or encourage responsible behaviors.” “• Because there are a large number of factors that affect teen sexual behavior, few of them individually have a large impact on that behavior.” “Perceived parental values about having sex + My parents think having sex before marriage is wrong. +My parents think people my age should wait until they are older to have sex. + My parents think I should abstain from sex. +My parents would be terribly upset if they believed that I was having sex.” (Douglas Kirby, Ph.D., Gina Lepore, B.A., Jennifer, M.A., “Sexual Risk and Protective Factors Factors Affecting Teen sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, Childbearing And Sexually Transmitted Disease: Which Are Important? Which Can You Change?” The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, August 2005:2,3,5,7-18,20,24,25,38) ______________________
“SURVEY FINDS TEENAGE BEHAVIOR STILL RISKY BUSINESS, BUT BETTER” "Those are the results of a federally sponsored survey of 1,392 English-speaking, public-school students in 9th through 12th grades. Randomly selected students in 21 school districts answered 87 multiple-choice questions about numerous behaviors that can lead to death, sickness, injury or social problems." "On the down side, 1 in 10 Rhode Island high school students reported that they did not attend school for at least one day during the previous 30 days because they felt unsafe at school or going to and from school." Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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"Rhode Island youth failed to make much improvement in these areas:”
“Nearly 1 in 3 got into a physical fight in the 12 months before the survey.”
“One in 10 reported making what they considered a suicide attempt in the previous 12 months. (Slightly fewer than half those attempts, however, resulted in injury, poisoning, or overdose that had to be treated by a doctor or nurse.)”
“Half had an alcoholic beverage within the previous 30 days.”
“Nearly half had used marijuana.”
“In 2001, 46 percent reported that they'd had sexual intercourse in their lifetimes (same as the national average), up from 43 percent in 1997.”
“Among those who had sex, only 44 percent used condoms. (The survey asked only about intercourse, not other types of sexual activity that can also spread disease.)”
“A significant minority—1in 20—resort to vomiting or laxatives to lose weight.”
“But in addition to the drop-off in smoking, the survey found these positive trends:”
“Only in 1 in 5 students said that they rarely or never wear seat belts; in 1997, it was 1 in 3. Still, Rhode Island youth are not up to their peers nationwide, of whom only 1 in 7 shunned seat belts.”
“The percentage who carried a weapon (such as a gun, knife or club) during the previous 30 days dropped from 18 percent in 1997 to 11 percent in 2001.”
“The use of inhalants—sniffing glue, breathing the contents of aerosol spray cans or inhaling paints or sprays to get high—was once a growing fad that worried health officials. But it appears to have waned significantly, with 12 percent reporting they had used inhalants in 2001, down from 21 percent in 1997.” “And kids seem to be more physically active. In 2001, 66 percent reported engaging in vigorous exercise for at least 20 minutes on at least three of the seven previous days. That's up from 62 percent in 1997, and very close to the national average of 64.6 percent.”
(Felice J. Freyer, "Survey finds teenage behavior still risky business, but better," The Providence Journal, June 29, 2002, PpA1 and A6) ______________________ “SURVEY: SADDAM KILLED 61,000 IN BADHDAD” “Saddam Hussein's government may have executed 61,000 Baghdad residents.” Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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“At least 300,000 people are buried in mass graves in Iraq. Human rights officials put the number closer to 500,000, and some Iraqi political parties estimate more than 1 million were executed.” “They have confirmed 41 mass graves on a list of suspected sites that currently includes 270 locations.” “The scorched-earth campaign known as the "Anfal," in which the government killed an estimated 180,000 Kurds in Iraq's far north.” “Another 60,000 people are believed to have been killed when Saddam violently suppressed rebellions by Shiite Muslims in the south and Kurds in the north at the close of the 1991 Gulf War.” (Niko Price, “Survey: Saddam Killen 61,000 in Baghdad”, APNews, December 8, 2003) ______________________ “TEEN SEX IS COMMON WORLDWIDE” “‘Our work in the United States and Europe has shown that being open and honest with teenagers does not encourage them to have sex earlier’” “Previous Guttmacher research has shown that teens in countries that provide young people with comprehensive, balanced information about sex have low rates of childbearing and sexually transmitted infections.” “Sound research on abstinence-only programs, on the other hand, shows little positive impact. Nevertheless, the U.S. government spends $167 million a year on highly restrictive abstinenceonly-until-marriage programs that prohibit teachers from advocating use of condoms or other contraceptives, and is increasingly promoting the same approach overseas as part of the president’s AIDS prevention initiative.” (Jennifer Nadeau, “Teen sex is common worldwide,” Guttmacher Institute, November 16, 2005, www.agi-usa.org/media/nr/2005/11/08/index.html) ______________________ “THE IMPORTANCE OF THOSE TEENAGE YEARS” “The brain you get as an adult is the brain you ‘wire’ as a teenager, the latest research shows.” “So be careful about the patterns of thought and behavior you establish in adolescence – between the ages of 10 and 20 – Duke University biological research psychologist Aaron White advised.” “For good or ill, your brain is deeply influenced by such patterns and may well adopt them as ‘default settings’ for the rest of your life.”
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“That could explain why some people emerge from their teenage years with a sense of purpose and others don’t. Or why some adults enjoy exercise and others don’t. Or why some struggle with overeating or become dependent on tobacco, alcohol or drugs and others don’t.” “‘The experiences we have in our teen years are so very powerful,’ Mr. White said.” ‘“If you become an expert in calculus in high school, chances are for the rest of your life you’re going to have superior math skills.’” “‘If all you do is watch TV passively and you don’t exercise your brain, then you’re going to suffer the consequences of that. In your adult life, the activity of the brain will reflect what you’ve done as an adolescent.’” “By the age of 10 or 12, Mr. White said, the human brain is almost fully grown. Until recently, researchers thought the brain was finished developing by early adolescence. But in the past five years or so, they have learned they were wrong.” “Mr. White likened the 10-year-old brain to an overgrown garden that needs to be pruned. Children launch into their teen years with ‘hundreds of billions’ of brain neurons that are unruly. They make a lot of unnecessary or inappropriate connections.” “‘These cells talk to everybody – and everybody talks to everybody else,’ he said.” “Much of the confusion occurs in the frontal lobe of the brain, the part that is involved in planning, making decisions, controlling emotions and conveying ideas with language.” “‘These are all things the adolescents have trouble with,’ Mr. White said.” “But as the teenager begins to form habits of thought, behavior and speech – as choices are made and certain avenues in the brain take precedence over others – those paths become established while the unused ones weaken.” “So a lot depends on nurturing the teen with a healthy environment that is populated by peers and adults who model good choices.” “The tipping point, Mr. White said appears to be age 19. If you don’t become a user of tobacco or alcohol or drugs before 19, you probably won’t as an adult.” (“The Importance of Those Teenage Years,” The Washington Times, November 28, 2003, pA6) ______________________ “THE NEW 21 CLUB” “4.1 million Americans turned 21 years old last year. Of those…” “41% currently live at home” Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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“25% raised by a single parent” “19% are married” “61% favor legal gay marriage” “33% will vote in 2004” “47% have a mobile phone” “93% have a credit card” “10% have credit card debt in excess of $7,000” “43% have a tattoo or body piercing” (“The New 21 Club” Survey from Today Christianity Magazine, Fall 2004) ______________________ “THE THREAT OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM” “How could they get one?” “The most obvious way would be to buy or steal an existing warhead from Russia, which one expert describes as the ‘Home Depot’ of nukes. Russia has 22,000 warheads that it inherited when the Soviet Union collapsed, in 1991. About 40 percent of them are protected by woefully inadequate security systems.” “So what is the U.S. doing about it?” “Since the demise of the Soviet Union, the U.S. has spent $10 billion helping Russia beef up security. The money has paid for reinforced steel doors, more secure fences, and motion detectors, to bring the facilities up to U.S. standards. But it’s an enormous job. In addition to having the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, Russia also has an estimated 1,100 metric tons of highly enriched uranium and 160 metric tons of plutonium—enough fuel to build another 60,000 or so nuclear bombs.” (“The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism,” The Week Magazine, April 15, 2005, http://www.theweekmagazine.com/article.asp?id=868) ______________________ -“WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE?” "'Protecting Adolescents from Harm' is a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association." (7) Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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"It is the first large-scale longitudinal nationwide study on the health status, risk behaviors and social contexts of adolescents." "According to the findings of this study, the following quotes offer some of the factors associated with adolescents delaying the initiation of sexual intercourse." "Significant family factors associated with delaying sexual debut included high levels of parentfamily connectedness, parental disapproval of their adolescent's being sexually active and parental disapproval of their adolescent's using contraception." "Adolescents who reported having taken a pledge to remain a virgin were at significantly lower risk of early age of sexual debut. Nearly 16% of females and 10% of males reported making such pledges." "A higher level of importance ascribed to religion and prayer was also associated with a somewhat later age of sexual debut." "With notable consistency across the domains of risk, the role of parents and family in shaping the health of adolescents is evident. While not surprising, the protective role that perceived parental expectations play regarding adolescents' school attainment emerges as an important recurring correlate of health and healthy behavior. Likewise, while physical presence of the parent in the home at key times reduces risk, it is consistently less significant than parental connectedness (eg, feelings of warmth, love, and caring from parents). The home environment also plays a role in shaping negative health outcomes." "Studies are beginning to show with greater consistency that children need guidance, limits and loving parental and/or other adult interaction to grow up healthy and well adjusted. In an accompanying editorial to the Journal of the American Association article above, Jonathan D. Klein, MD MPH certainly agrees." "The authors [of the longitudinal study] also appropriately question the ways that some current social and economic policies threaten family connectedness; one can only hope that federal, state, and local government, including local school boards, will heed this call to develop policies that support families rather than those that try to impose particular values." “Reference:” "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 1996," CDC Infectious Disease List of 1995, 45:883-884.” “Eng, Thomas R. and William T. Butler, Editors, "The Hidden Epidemic-Confronting Sexually Transmitted Disease," 1997; National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.39” "Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in the United States," The New England Journal of Medicine, October 16, 1997: 1105-1111.” “Maynard, Rebecca A., Editor, "Kids Having Kids," 1996, a Robin Hood Foundation Special Report.” “Crowberry, David R., An Evaluation of the Washington, DC, Best Friends program, A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Education, 1995.” (7) “ Klein, Jonathan D., "Protecting Adolescents From Harm," Journal of the American” “Medical Association, September 10, 1997: 864-865.” Teens & Sex - General Research 2005 and prior
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(Sexual Health Update, Winter 1997, Volume 5, No. 2) ______________________
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