STUDENT BENEFITS
The primary Physical Health Benefit that students receive from having access to comprehensive sex education is a positive impact on their sexual health.
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Comprehensive Sex Education Promotes Student Sexual Health in 4 Ways
2. It helps students develop healthy attitudes and values about human sexuality by exploring their community’s attitudes and values
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4. It encourages students to make responsible choices about sexual relationships by practicing abstinence, postponing sexual intercourse, resisting unwanted or early sexual intercourse, and using contraception when they become sexually active (National Guidelines Task Force, 2004)
1. It provides accurate information about human sexuality, including growth and development, anatomy, human reproduction, pregnancy, childbirth, parenthood, sexual orientation, gender identity, masturbation, contraception, abortion, sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS, and other STIs
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3. It helps students develop communication, decision-making, and peer-refusal skills in order to help them achieve reciprocal, caring, and mutually satisfying intimate relationships when they are adults
Only comprehensive sex education programs have been proven to reduce the risk of teen pregnancy, HIV, and other STIs, all of which are major influencing factors on student sexual health (Kohler, Manhart, and Lafferty, 2008; Potera, 2008; Sex Education and Sex-Related Behavior, 1986; Schinke, Blythe, & Gilchrist, 1981)
There is substantial evidence that inclusive sex education curricula, antiharassment policies, and GSAs improve school experiences for all students (Johns, Poteat, Horn, & Kosciw, 2019).
All students in states with a greater proportion of schools teaching LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education had lower odds of experiencing bullying; lesbian and gay students specifically had much lower odds of experiencing bullying victimization. Furthermore, in schools that taught LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education, all students had lower odds of experiencing adverse mental health (Proulx, Coulter, Egan, Matthews, & Mair, 2019).
In 1984, Douglas Kirby described a parent-child program for junior and senior high school students, where parents and children were brought together and encouraged to communicate directly with one another in the classroom about sexuality. As a result of this program, the families were also more comfortable talking about sex after the course was over (Kirby, 1984). Additionally, young women who have had formal instruction about pregnancy and contraception are more likely to talk to their parents about these subjects than those who have not (Sex Education and Sex-Related Behavior, 1986).
In a study conducted in 1981, student participants were more willing to refuse to risk getting pregnant, were more willing to share responsibility for birth control, and were more likely to make a declarative “no” in response to peer pressure after completing a comprehensive sex education course (Schinke, Blythe, & Gilchrist, 1981). Evidence has shown that there are not any programs that effectively decrease the amount of students engaging in sexual activity, however, at least comprehensive sex education programs have proven to help students avoid the risk of pregnancy.
Inclusive, comprehensive sex education is associated with fewer reports of bullying and with positive mental health outcomes in both LGBTQ+ youth and heterosexual youth in U.S. public high schools (Proulx, Coulter, Egan, Matthews, & Mair, 2019)
Students living in states with higher proportions of schools teaching LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education had significantly lower odds of reporting symptoms of depression. For every 10 percent increase in the number of schools teaching LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education in a state, there was a 20 percent reduction in reported suicide plans (Proulx, Coulter, Egan, Matthews, & Mair, 2019).
Many students report frustration and lowered self-esteem because of an inability to express their feelings, to make effective decisions, and to manage healthy relationships. Incidents of teens submitting to pressure to have sex, and then experiencing guilt, dissatisfaction, or sometimes pregnancy, commonly occur. Sometimes these problems continue to reduce sexual enjoyment later on in life and add stress to adult relationships and marriage (Kirby, 1984). Comprehensive sex education is part of a solution to many of these problems, as it gives students the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make healthier decisions. Furthermore, higher-quality sex education predicts greater self-efficacy, and higher sexual confidence, which then correlates to higher levels of sexual satisfaction (Nurgitz, Pacheco, Senn, & Hobden, 2021). This is yet another important aspect of a healthy and lasting relationship that benefits students throughout their lives.
As of 2020, birth rates amongst 15 to 19-year-old mothers in the United States have decreased to record lows, with evidence suggesting that an increase in the use of a range of contraceptive methods is a major contributing factor (Underwood, Brener, Thornton, Harris, Bryan, Shanklin, Deputy, Roberts, Queen, Chyen, Whittle, Lim, Yamakawa, Leon-Nguyen, Kilmer, Smith-Grant, Demissie, Jones, Clayton, & Dittus, 2020). However, U.S. birth rates amongst adolescents still remain higher than in comparable developed Western nations.