Childhood Sexuality

Normal Sexual Behavior and Development

Theo Sandfort

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9780789011985
• eBook ISBN:
  9781135788674
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Developmental Psychology
• Index: Psychology

What is "normal sexual behavior" in a child?Childhood sexuality is an often neglected field in sex research. There is very little literature about what one might call "normal child sexual behavior." The existing literature on child sexuality gives the impression that the only way in which children figure in sexological research is as objects of sexual abuse. The child, as a subject learning about sexuality and capable of experiencing sexual pleasures, doesn't seem to exist in scholarly papers.Childhood Sexuality: Normal Behavior and Development does not focus on sexual abuse but instead deals with what can be described as "normal" sexual behavior and development in children under age 12. This valuable book offers information about the relationship between age and sexual development, both mental and physical, in both males and females. Childhood Sexuality: Normal Behavior and Development explores several issues, including:

• what children ages two to six think or know about sexuality
• the ways that children learn about sexuality and procreation
• the process of body discovery among children
• what normal sexual behaviors to expect in children of various ages
• the importance of growing up in a positive environment
• the differences in sexual development between children of the same age and gender
• ways to get honest answers from children and parents about sexualityComprehensive and enlightening, Childhood Sexuality examines the difficulties of gathering this information from children and gives insight into questions that need to be answered in the future. This guide delivers a diverse look at the complex and intriguing topic of normal child sexuality and the progress that is being made in this area of research.

Index

Adolescents

pregnancy rate in, 119

sexual behavior/conduct disorder-related behavior association in, 63–65

sexually-transmitted disease risk of, 64–65

Age factors, in childhood sexual behavior, 109–110, 112–113.

See also Preschool-aged children

AIDS. See also HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection

boys' awareness of and attitudes toward, 86, 91, 93–94

Animals, cuddling with, 53

Asexuality, of children, 83

Bathing, genital exploration during

with parents, 30, 37, 41

with siblings, 42

Being in love

children's attitudes toward, 54, 55

children's experiences of, 53–54, 55, 58

parental reports of, 56, 57

Birth, children's knowledge of, 31

of preschool children, 6, 9, 15–17, 18, 21–22, 23

of school-age children, 22

Birth rate, adolescent, cross-national differences in, 119

Body awareness, 50

Body care, 36, 37–38

Body discovery. See also Genital exploration

process of, 28, 29

Body parts. See also Genitals

“pleasant and exciting,” 29, 54–55

Body representation, 28–29

Boys

cross-gender behavior in, 70, 75, 122, 123, 124, 125

desire to be girls, 70, 110–111

mutual masturbation among, 31

sex interviews with, 84–101

AIDS and sexuality protocol of, 85–86, 88, 89, 91

boys' level of cooperation in, 97

boys' negative attitudes toward, 84, 92–94, 95, 96–97, 98

boys' positive attitudes toward, 84, 91, 96–97

boys' reticence in, 89–90, 98–100

boys' sexual vocabulary in, 89–90, 98, 99

boys' willingness/unwillingness to participate in, 84, 95, 96

interview process, 89–90

mothers' negative attitudes toward, 93, 94–95, 97

mothers’ positive attitudes toward, 91–92

reliability ratings of, 96–97

as source of worry, ...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Childhood Sexuality: Normal Sexual Behavior and Development
• Title Page
• Copyright
• ABOUT THE EDITORS
• CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Sexual Knowledge of Preschool Children
• Young Children’s Curiosity About Other People’s Genitals
• Studying Children’s Sexuality from the Child’s Perspective
• The Association of Sexual Behavior with Externalizing Behaviors in a Community Sample of Prepubertal Children
• Reactions of Inner-City Boys and Their Mothers to Research
• Sexual Behavior in Dutch and Belgian Children as Observed by Their Mothers
• Cultural Differences in Sexual Behavior: 2-6 Year Old Dutch and American Children
• Index