Even the headlines are provocative:
Casual sex not bad for mental health, study finds (Chicago Sun-Times)
Casual sex, hookups aren't emotionally damaging, study finds (New York Daily News)
Booty calls not bad for emotional health study says (Creative Loafing Tampa)
It's a sure sign of generational change. Parents worry that casual sex is a threat to their children’s well being, emotionally if not physically. But a new study by University of Minnesota researchers suggests otherwise.
The researchers surveyed more than 1,300 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 about their most recent sexual encounters. They were also asked questions about their emotional well-being and their overall self-esteem. The study was published in the December issue of the Guttmacher Institute’s academic journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
About a fifth of the young adults surveyed said that their last sexual encounter was casual. But their answers to the emotional wellness questions were no different than those who said they were in committed relationships.
"We were so surprised," Marla Eisenberg, an assistant professor at the university's School of Public Health who studies adolescent and young adult health, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
"The conventional wisdom is that casual sex, 'friends with benefits,' and hooking up is hurtful,” she said. “That's what we've been teaching kids for decades," especially in the federally funded abstinence-only sex education programs, she said.
“Not that Eisenberg advocates casual sex. Far from it.
"Casual sex is not for everyone" as an emotional matter, she said. Moreover, there is real physical risk: Rates of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy rates among young adults are rising."
In fact, the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world, despite readily available birth control methods. The Centers for Disease Control says that a third of teen girls get pregnant before the age of 20. Teenpregnancy.org, a site managed by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, states that there are "750,000 teen pregnancies annually. Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and 81 percent are to unmarried teens."
Eisenberg said sex education curriculums, parents and public health programs should "focus on the things that are real threats," such as interpersonal violence, pregnancy risk and STDs, not on the theory that casual sex is emotionally harmful.
From the study:
“From 2003-2004, 574 males and 737 females in Minnesota with a mean age of 20.5 were surveyed regarding sexual behaviors and emotional well-being.
“Of the sexually active respondents, 55 percent reported that their last sexual partner was an exclusive dating partner followed by 25 percent whose most recent partner was a fiancé/e, spouse, or life partner. Much lower percentages reported that their last sexual partner was a close but not exclusive partner (12 percent) or a casual acquaintance (8 percent). Over twice as many males as females reported that their last partner was casual (i.e. either a “casual acquaintance” or “close but not exclusive partner”).
How old are you, and what do you think?
Here’s the Star Tribune story:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/78786622.html?page=1&c=y
From the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center:
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/AHC_CONTENT_159312.html
From Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health (abstract available; must have membership for full text):
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/4123109.html
Facts on teen pregnancy and on STDs among teens, from Livestrong.com:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/12504-teen-pregnancy-rates-usa/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/12468-stds/