Comprehensive’ Sex Education in Secondary Schools' Impact on Young Adults Aged 18-25. The Perceptions of Positive, Intimate Relationships and How Relationships with Self and Others Are Built From This.

Abstract

Sex education is a significantly important and impactful subject taught in across the world. Sexual health and well-being relate to a wide range of issues including sexuality, unintended pregnancy and abortions, and STI prevention. Relationships start being built intimately from early teenage years and sex education can influence how people view themselves as individuals and how they build relationships with others. This study aims to understand the effects that sex education in secondary schools has on young adults’ perceptions of CSE, and how this impacts the relationships they have with themselves and build with others around them, particularly in an intimate fashion. This research focuses on young adults as opposed to adolescents as it is currently extremely little on how sex education served those aged 18-25, which is incredibly important to evaluate in seeing how successful the curriculum is working in educating young people. The data for this research has been collected through online fully anonymized questionnaires. The results of the research show the impact CSE has had on the young people involved in this project is more negative than positive or has had little to no impact on them and their relationships with themselves or others. There are recommendations given by participants in what they want to see added to the CSE curriculum, some of which have been added in the 2019 guidelines implemented in 2020 including LGBTQIA+ and consent, among others which are yet to be addressed such as female pleasure.