Title: 
Age, Sexual Health, Virginity, And Deviant Behavior

Word Count:
539

Summary:
While age has always been associated with the various physical factors of sex, other biological factors may also have an effect on other sexual health traits. For example, men and women who lose their virginity at a later age are statistically more likely to develop psychological conditions related to sex than others who had sex at an age considered to be the “average” time for gaining the first sexual experience.


Keywords:
sexual health


Article Body:
More than ever, researchers now consider a person’s age as a significant factor in sexual health. Age has always been a factor, but only because age factors into things like endurance and, theoretically, experience in sexual activities. However, recently concluded studies are starting to show that age may have a more direct impact on a person's sexual health, particularly if more outside factors are brought into consideration. According to the study, people who lose their virginity at a younger or older age than average (which can be rather subjective, depending on certain community factors) can develop physical and psychological “quirks” related to sex.

One of the first things researchers noted was just how little significant impact abstinence-only education had on the statistics. According to the raw statistical data, people who lost their virginity at a younger age were at a significantly higher risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease later on in life than average. It also appeared to increase the chances of a person developing other sexual health risk factors, such as engaging in intercourse with multiple partners and developing a history of alcohol-influenced sexual contact. Knowledge of contraception methods other than abstinence had an impact in reducing the STD risks, but abstinence-only education didn't show any significant effects and, as implied by some of the data, may actually increase the risks.

Problems with sexual health functions were found to increase for both “early” and “late” people, according to the study's findings. The results showed that one of the more common problems that cropped up in men was an inability to maintain an erection and premature ejaculations. According to the data, while most men are liable to experience these problems for some time, it is a more prominent and persistent condition for those who lost their virginity earlier or later than the generally accepted average age. Some of the data also indicated that women who engaged in sexual contact earlier or later in life may also have difficulty reaching a state of arousal and experiencing orgasms.

It was noted that young men who started having sex at a later date developed more sexual deviancies and dysfunctions than their counterparts who started earlier. Most of the deviancies can probably be considered mundane, depending on the socio-cultural context they are viewed in, but the dysfunctions have a tendency to be both psychological in nature. This includes conditions where certain environmental “criteria” have to be met before the person can enter a physical state of sexual arousal.

The researchers have admitted that it is currently unclear exactly what the connections are between some deviant sexual behaviors and the age one loses one's virginity. The findings suggest a complex picture in terms of sexual health and the psychological implications of it, though a cause-and-effect scenario is difficult to discern from the current data. On some aspects, the data has been found to support abstinence-only education, like what is imposed in some public schools. However, other data also indicates that the lack of support and acknowledgment of abstinence-only education can also lead to problems later on, in terms of sexual behavior and practices. At the moment, the researchers have not made any official statements on which side of the argument they favor.