What Does Healthy Sex Look Like among Youth? Towards a Skills-Based Model for Promoting Adolescent Sexuality Development

Abstract

Sexuality is central in human life, perhaps especially in adolescence when multiple dimensions of change constitute physical, psychological, and social challenges and opportunities for the developing young person. Understanding this constellation of challenges and opportunities and formulating constructive, supportive interventions would be greatly facilitated by a skills-based model for promoting sexuality development in adolescence. Moving beyond the deficit, sex-negative approach, I propose a model that identifies three key elements of skillful adolescent sexuality development: sexual selfhood, sexual negotiation, and sexual empowerment. I link these components through the processes of personal agency, interpersonal intimacy, and social advocacy. I consider limitations of the model as well as the next steps for applying this theoretical framework to future empirical studies that seek to describe, explain, and optimize sexuality development throughout the adolescent years.

Bisexual Invisibility and the Sexual Health Needs of Adolescent Girls

“…School-based sexual health education has the potential to reach young people at different stages in sexuality development, such as early adolescence before they initiate sexual activity, or as they begin exploring their sexual desires and identity. 38 Limitations and future directions…”

Association between Sexual Satisfaction and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents and Young Adults

“…Traditionally, the study of romantic and sexual awakening has been linked to the concept of risk, danger or threat to the healthy development and psychological adjustment of adolescents and young adults [1,2]. More recently, however, studies have looked at important contributions made in the field of sexual development in regard to physical and mental health, well-being, and quality of life; in fact, a normative and positive view of adolescent sexuality has now been proposed [3][4][5][6].…”

“They're hoping we can stop it”: Student leadership in sexual violence intervention and response at West Point

“…I analyzed the 24 semistructured interviews using constructivist grounded theory, a qualitative analysis method used to identify processes that operate within specific situations or institutions (Charmaz, ). The theory shaping the analysis was the skills‐based model for human sexuality development in relation to advocacy and community building (Arbeit, ). Constructivist grounded theory is an iterative process in which findings at each stage contribute to adjusting and reframing the research approach as needed, to best attend to the data and the experiences of the participants in the context of relevant theory (Charmaz, ).…”

“…The last step was theoretical coding, as in integrating the coding into a theory (Glaser, ). At this step, I explicitly drew upon a skills‐based model for promoting adolescent sexuality development (Arbeit, ), as well as other relevant literature such as the four types of bystander intervention (Coker et al., )…”

“…This study, therefore, examined leadership skills among USMA cadets for intervening as active bystanders in potentially problematic sexual situations and responding to disclosures of sexual assault incidents. In focusing on student skills, this study builds on and expands the skills‐based model for promoting human sexuality development (Arbeit, ), which has been previously used in a military academy context to analyze personal and interpersonal skills for sexual relationships, such as ethical decision making (Arbeit, ) and giving and getting consent (Arbeit, ). The skills‐based model also presents advocacy skills as a critical part of sexuality development for adolescents and young adults, so that they engage with and contribute to their communities (Arbeit, ).…”