Peer pressure to have sex

Understanding individual differences in susceptibility to peer influence is critical to identifying adolescents at risk for negative health outcomes. The purpose of this project was to identify predictors of susceptibility to peer influence using a novel performance-based measure of sexual risk-taking. Changes in responses to the sexual scenarios in the private pretest versus during the public chat room provided a performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility. The most robust predictor of this change was gender, with boys significantly more susceptible to peer influence than girls.

What is peer pressure? Peer pressure is when you feel pushed towards making a particular choice. This choice could be good OR bad. But are they really? When it comes to sex, you could be feeling pressure from your peers or from your partner.

Parents often mention the major influence peers have on the decisions that their teens make. Of course the subject of sex is a very important one here. Talk to Your Teens. That somewhere else is very likely to include their peers who are often high on the list of sources, closely followed by the media! How to Say "No".

Neil Bernstein, a clinical psychologist writes about how to understand peer pressure, sex and talk to teenagers about it. At its best, it can mobilize his energy, motivate him to strive for success, and encourage him to conform to a healthy group norm. At its worst, peer pressure can impair good judgment and fuel risk-taking behavior, drawing a child away from the family and positive influences and luring him into dangerous activities.