Alcohol and Sex: What's the Right Approach?

            This week I read an interesting article that conveyed the results of a recent study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. This study found that children who had tried alcohol by the sixth grade were approximately five times more likely to report they had a full drink by the time they were in high school; and they were four times more likely to report binge drinking or getting drunk, regardless of parents providing the alcohol or not. This study is generally supported by previous research, however one study done in 2004 came to the opposite conclusion, finding that being introduced to alcohol early on, especially when provided by parents, could reduce the chance of binge drinking later.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/31/living/feat-sipping-alcohol-kids-drinking-impact-parents/index.html

            Now, I think this finding becomes especially interesting when we put in conversation with two contradictory findings on adolescent exposure to sexual content. The one study found that adolescents’ exposure to sexual content actually increased the likelihood of engaging in sexual behavior, increased intentions to practice sexual behaviors in the future, and less belief in negative outcomes as a byproduct of sexual intercourse (Fisher, Grube, Bersamin, Walker, & Gruber, 2009). By contrast, however, a different study found that viewing sexual content made adolescents more cognizant of the distortions of sex in the media and increased their feelings of control over choices regarding sex, when engaging in media literacy (Pinkleton, Austin, Chen, & Cohen, 2012). 

            Combining these two sets of research, I think that what we’re left with is the very real uncertainty that clouds what our judgment should be when confronting the challenge of adolescent exposure to adult issues (namely alcohol and sex). It’s becoming increasingly difficult to pinpoint the sources exerting influence on adolescents and their decision-making, which is perhaps one explanation for these two sets of confounding findings. However, what we do know is increasingly the youth is turning to the media and their peers for guidance in negotiating the difference between I and them, the self and the other (Drury & Bukowski, 2013). With this in mind, it becomes increasingly difficult to interpret which findings are true; does earlier alcohol consumption increase or decrease the likelihood of binge drinking, and does exposure to sexual content increase knowledge about sex or perpetuate the media myths?

Right now, I think we have to take each finding at face value and interpret for ourselves what the more accurate finding in each set is. In a society that wants concrete answers, this isn’t ideal. But what we do know is that we can’t shield the adolescents from these more adult matters, as they’re seemingly increasingly becoming exposed to them at an earlier age. What I think we need to do is try and get at the root of the problem from a younger age; meaning impart the negative consequences of alcohol and sex earlier on. The question becomes who is “we”? With our media becoming more instrumental in its influence, it’s nice to think that we’ll have a media that recognizes its capability. However, this enterprise is so profit-driven that right now the issues of adolescent naivety towards alcohol and sex needs to be recognized by us as individuals to try and initiate these conversations, and hopefully produce a more knowledgeable and informed youth populace.  

References: 

Drury, K. M. & Bukowski, W. M. (2013). Sexual development. In D. Bromberg & W. T. O’Donohue (Eds.), Handbook of Child and Adolescent Sexuality (pp. 115-144). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Fisher, D. A., Hill, D. L., Grube, J. W., Bersamin, M. M., Walker, S., & Gruber, E. L. (2009). Televised sexual content and parental mediation: Influences on adolescent sexuality. Media Psychology, 12(2), 121-147. doi: 10.1080/15213260902849901

Pinkleton, B. E., Austin, E. W., Chen, Y.-C. Ä. Ä., & Cohen, M. (2012). The role of media literacy in shaping adolescents' understanding of and responses to sexual portrayals in mass media. Journal of Health Communication, 17(4), 460-476. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2011.635770