Sex & young people
Just how common are sexual problems in young people? From the time we are (legally) sexually active, to our mid- twenties, just how many of us are establishing sexual problems without realising it?
A lot of research on young people (unfortunately, mostly on heterosexual people) tends to focus on sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancies. Despite being important issues, if research focuses on these two alone, our school curriculums have little else to inform them on the plethora of other problems young people face.
What about orgasming, masturbating, experiencing love, losing your virginity, understanding consent, losing your libido, finding your libido, having both good and bad sex, how to talk about these experiences? When are we taught about THAT stuff?
Sex Ed in school deprives us of a place to discuss these queries. Instead we end up having to learn the hard way. During those crucial years we establish our identity, our roles in society, our strengths, weaknesses and sexual standards. Along with these lessons we also develop insecurities, problems, confidence and skill.
A British study aimed to examine sexual function in 16- to 21-Year-Olds by measuring the population of youths with sexual dysfunction, and how they sought or avoided help.
Among the sexually active, 9.1% of men and 13.4% of women reported distressing sexual problem lasting 3 months or more. The most common issue for men was premature ejaculation (4.5%) and trouble reaching orgasm for women (6.3%).
A third of men (35.5%) and 42.3% of women reporting a sexual problem had sought help, but rarely from professional sources. Among those who had reported being sexually inactive in the past year said they avoided sex due to sexual difficulties (<10%).
So, a solid population of young people report experiencing sexual problems and struggle to seek professional help or guidance outside of their support system (family, friends, the internet).
Another study that looked at Sexual Dysfunction in young men aged 18–25 years observed the long term trajectory of sexual dysfunction in men.
3,700 young males aged 18-25 completed a questionnaire measuring premature ejaculation (PE) and delayed ejaculation (DE) at baseline, and again 15 months later.
The results suggest that 43.9% of young men with PE and 51% of men with DE at baseline reported it again 15 months later.
14.4% developed DE and 9.7% developed PE in that 15 months.
These results were attributed to things like poor mental health, depression and illicit drug taking. Poor physical health, alcohol consumption and less sexual experience were predictive factors for PE. Multiple sexual partners was associated with DE.
As for female sexual dysfunction, I have to disappoint you with the reality of sexological research in this area; there isn’t much.
In the limited research I could find, the authors noted that describing the causes of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) was difficult because there wasn’t much to go off, and because different researchers had used different classification systems to understand female sexual functioning.
Here’s a pleasantly ambiguous statement about how common FSD is, ‘In general, 40% of women will experience some form of sexual problem, although in only 12-25% it is associated with personal distress.’
Cheers mates, how helpful.
In general, it is common for young women to experience difficulty experiencing an orgasm. As noted with male sexual dysfunction, it can often be due to more than just your physiological functioning, lifestyle and experience is a big influence.
For everyone, practice helps. A benefit of having regular safe sex with potentially the same person/people is a space to explore each others and your own pleasure to figure out what works best for you.
I can say one thing about the gender discrepancy in sexual functioning research; men’s sexual response is slightly simpler than female sexual functioning, which means it’s easy to study, and researchers know they will get results.
No matter what gender you identify with, sexual functioning is not a smooth trail. All of us will experience challenges along the way, and more often than not, those challenges are related to stress in other parts of our lives.
If you feel distressed about sex know that you’re not alone, education is needed to de-mystify sex in general. You can get this with a sex therapist or counsellor who can provide a place that fosters learning and avoids the development of sex related anxiety, shame and dysfunction.
