Table of contents:
- Women who engage in sex at an age too young double the risk of developing cervical cancer
- Having sex at a young age indicates an increase in behavioral problems and delinquency later in life
- Sex at a young age can affect brain development
As children reach middle school age, parents begin to realize that their “little angel” is no longer a child. However, they are also not old enough to be classified as teenagers. Apart from that, there are also many ABG children who start to taste their role as adults; wearing make-up, sitting for hours in front of a computer screen busy playing Facebook, and not caring about the objections of parents, start dating.
One big question sticks out clearly in the minds of most parents when their kids start dating: Do they have sex? Basically, in Indonesia, the minimum age for a person to engage in sexual relations is 16 years. However, having a stable relationship at a very young age increases the risk of having sex at an early age, as does having friends in a higher class, frequent visits to social networking sites, and spending less time with peers. This increased risk can be explained at least in part by the vulnerability of young children to social pressures in the social environment and their identity and personal values and norms that are still being formed. Even if your child is not sexually active, the risk of substance abuse and other behavioral problems can increase if many of his friends are having sex.
A new study shows that sex at a young age can have negative effects that last into adulthood, most likely because activity occurs while the nervous system is still developing. This concern focuses not only on premature sexual activity of children, but also that these ABG children are more likely than others to engage in risky sexual behavior patterns that are known to be associated with a number of negative outcomes, especially for girls, ranging from high risk. unwanted pregnancy, contracting HIV or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and other negative psychological effects.
Women who engage in sex at an age too young double the risk of developing cervical cancer
Reporting from the NHS UK, research published in the British Journal of Cancer found that young women with lower middle socioeconomic status have a higher risk of infection with HPV - the virus that causes cervical cancer - because they tend to engage in sexual intercourse four years earlier than group of young women whose socioeconomic status is more affluent.
The lead researcher, Dr. Silvia Francheschi, said the increased risk of cervical cancer that is owned by this group of women who have sex at a too young age is due to the longer incubation period for the virus to progress to the cancer stage.
The age at which a woman has her first baby is also an important factor, according to a study of 20,000 women by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In contrast, smoking and the number of sexual partners - long considered important factors - did not explain the difference.
It is important to understand that this study is not aimed at determining whether the age at which a woman has sex for the first time is a risk factor for cervical cancer. Almost all cervical cancer cases are caused by certain strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is spread through sexual contact. Cervical cancer is rare among women under the age of 25. However, based on what is already known, it makes sense that the sooner a woman has sex for the first time, the greater her risk of being infected with HPV, and for the longer period of time before being actually diagnosed.
Having sex at a young age indicates an increase in behavioral problems and delinquency later in life
Based on a study report published in Science Daily, a national study of more than 7,000 people found that teens who had sex too young showed a 20 percent increase in juvenile delinquency compared to a group of teens who, on average, waited a little longer to have sex. the first time.
To determine the level of delinquency, students in the survey were asked how often in the past year they participated in various acts of delinquency, including drawing graffiti, deliberately damaging property, stealing, or selling drugs.
In contrast, adolescents who waited longer to have sex had a 50 percent lower delinquency rate a year later than the average teenager. And this trend continues until six years later.
Stacy Armor, co-author of the study and doctoral student of sociology at Ohio State University, explains that this study does not conclude that sexual activity itself inevitably leads to behavioral problems, however, the decision to engage in sex at a young age long before the average teenager. in general (or the legal age limit) is a cause for concern. Instead, this study demonstrates the importance of acting within normal limits for the child's age group
"Those who start having sex too early may not be prepared to face the potential emotional, social, and behavioral consequences of their actions," said Dana Haynie, associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University.
Armor said the relationship between premature sex and delinquency may have something to do with the entire social context of young adolescents' lives. Having sex brings with it the feeling of being an adult. These children may feel they can do the same things as older teens, including delinquency. And the negative effects of early sex can last through adolescence and into early adulthood.
When the same respondents were surveyed again in 2002 - when most were between the ages of 18 and 26 - the results showed that age at first sex was still associated with delinquency.
Sex at a young age can affect brain development
The timing of a life event, such as sexual activity, can have major consequences for adolescents, especially when the event occurs prematurely.
New research suggests sex during early adolescence can affect mood and brain development that persist into adulthood, most likely because activity occurs while the nervous system is still developing.
Ohio State scientists used hamsters, which have physiological similarities to humans, to study specifically how the body responds to sexual activity in early life in order to provide information that may apply to understanding human sexual development.
"There is a time point in nervous system development when things change very rapidly, and part of that change is preparation for adult reproductive and physiological behavior," said co-author Zachary Weil. "It is possible that environmental experiences and signals could amplify their impact if they occur before the nervous system has been permanently awakened in adulthood."
The researchers paired adult female hamsters with male hamsters when the males were 40 days old, the equivalent of a human's mid-adolescence. They found that male animals with later sexual experiences showed a number of signs of depressive behavior, such as lower body mass, smaller reproductive tissue, and changes in cells in the brain than hamsters exposed to slower sex in sex. later in life or not having sex at all.
Among the animal cell changes observed were higher levels of expression of genes associated with inflammation in brain tissue and less complex cellular structures in key signaling areas of the brain. They also showed signs of a stronger immune response to the sensitivity test, indicating that their immune system is in a high alert even in the absence of infection - a potential sign of an autoimmune problem.
The combination of physiological responses in adulthood does not necessarily cause harm, but suggests that sexual activity during this nervous system development could be interpreted by the body as a stressor, explain the researchers.
"There is prior evidence that age at first sexual experience is associated with mental health problems in humans," Weil said. "But with all human research, there are a number of other variables involved, such as parental surveillance and socioeconomic status, that may be involved with both age-first experiences and depression."
Researchers caution, however, that this study should not be used to promote adolescent abstinence, because they note the study was conducted on hamsters and that there is no certainty that the conclusions will hold true for humans. Thus, further research is needed to understand the impact of sex during puberty.
The research, which was submitted at the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting, has not received peer-review for official publication in a scientific journal.
The common thread of each of the studies above is that sex itself is not always a behavioral problem, but the timing of sexual initiation is important to consider. Teens need to be at a stage when their physical, emotional, and mental development is fully ripe for sex.
