Psychology

There are four major factors that researchers have associated with risky sexual behavior among young people increase in sexual activity, success of anti HIVAIDS drugs, lack of education and unsafe sexual practices, and sharing of drugs through syringes.

Young people are more sexually active than ever before, engaging in sexual activities at a very young age, and having several different partners over short spans of time. More often than not, those who are sexually active do not use latex condoms consistently, if at all (Rathus et al). Some choose not to use condoms because they believe that it will still be safe since the female partner is on birth-control pills. However, birth-control pills prevent pregnancies not STIs. Furthermore, increasing oral and anal sexual tendencies have increased the number of cases of STIs each year The fact that drug use is also increasing at an alarming pace contributes to the spread of STIs  it does not take sexual activity alone to transmit STIs since a person may pass it on through blood transfusion or the sharing of instruments such as syringes. Riskier, however, is the fact that the appearance on the market of HIVAIDS treating drugs which has made todays sexually active and adventurous youth to throw whatever caution they were turning to, to the wind (Owens et al, 2009).

As a counselor in a clinical situation, working with adolescents, I, understanding the nature of adolescents who tend to deny advice regarding safer and healthier lifestyles, (especially related to sex, drugs and alcohol related), would share my concerns with this person diplomatically. I would quote statistics, and will try to illustrate what is risky as compared to what this person previously considered perfectly safe, such as oral sex (given misconceptions among young individuals surrounding safe and unsafe sexual practices  lack of such education is in itself is a risky start to sexual activity).

Education and coaching will help me immensely in changing the sexual lifestyle of this person toward a healthier, more positive sexually active life (Owens et al, 2009).