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New Open Access Article Alert!

alonsogainzach
8 hours ago
2 min read

SIECCAN is excited to announce that the article, “First Sexual Experiences of Youth in Canada: A National Survey” has been published with the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality and is open access for you to read! 



First author for the paper, Merissa Prine-Munroe, shares some of the findings from this latest study in the video below:



In this study, SIECCAN conducted an online survey of 3,499 youth in Canada between the ages of 16 and 24 in order to address three main research questions:


  1. At what age are Canadian youth first engaging in partnered sexual behaviours


  2. Are there differences in the age of first sexual experiences between youth of differing genders or sexual orientations


  3. When youth engaged in these behaviours, did they feel sexually prepared?


When did Canadian youth report their first sexual experiences?


In our survey, Canadian youth reported engaging in sexual behaviours in all of the age groups we assessed, but this percentage increased in the older age groups. For example, 25% of youth aged 16-17 reported engaging in penile-vaginal sex compared to 66% of youth between the ages of 22-24 years old.


We also asked youth about a range of sexual behaviours (i.e., genital touching, penile-vaginal sex, penile-anal sex, and oral sex) given that examining only penile-vaginal sex provides only a very narrow window into the lives of young people’s sexual lives. The was no singular clear answer as to when youth engage in these behaviours, but that youth range in age when they first have these experiences.


Did sexual health experiences vary between youth of different gender identities and orientations?


Overall, we found more similarities than differences in youth’s first sexual experiences when comparing the age of experiences between genders and sexual orientations.


Most youth in our sample reported feeling prepared for their first sexual experiences.


Many youth reported that they felt prepared to prevent STIs, ensure the behaviour was consensual, and to ensure the experience was pleasurable for themselves and their partner. However, a sizeable minority did not feel prepared for their first experience, pointing to a potential avenue for enhanced sexual health education. For instance, 49% of women did not feel prepared to ensure their first experience was pleasurable for themselves.


What can we learn from this study?


It is important for youth of all ages to learn about sexual decision-making and behaviours in order to help them feel prepared for their first experiences before they occur. Comprehensive sexual health education is critical to helping youth feel prepared to protect themselves (and others) from negative sexual experiences and to facilitate positive first experiences. 











 
 
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