Reducing sexually transmitted diseases in women ages 15-24 does not have a simple solution. In fact, changing sexual behaviors encompasses various different approaches that can at times be difficult to reach. For an approach to show significant improvements a consistent change in personal factors, environmental factors, and human behaviors must occur (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, 2005, p. 20). The social cognitive theory describes these three important factors and introduces how they are all intertwined to produce the desired outcome of changing health behavior. The social cognitive theory approach has been chosen to indicate that sexual behavior can be changed but it must begin with those who are engaging …show more content…
Goals can be very simple but can also be difficult for some. In terms of sexual behaviors goals would entail ensuring that a condom is used if you are sexually active or having a conversation with your significant other of the decision to be abstinence until you have reached a monogamous relationship. Goals as simple as getting tested before you engage in sexual activity with your partner could be a much easier target then having crucial conversations with your partner about use of condoms or abstinence. Although these conversations can be difficult self-efficacy is the number one tool to use to ensure that regardless of the outcome personal health outweighs the risk of …show more content…
Social cognitive theory, although focusing on individual behavior, does encompass personal and environmental factors that influence sexual behavior. It is important to understand that the combination of these factors can lead to positive behavioral change which could lead to a reduction in STDs in younger women. Regardless of other factors not being included in this theory the ability of changing behavior can always be introduced and targeted for specific
The Information-Motivation-Behavior Skills (IMB) Model focuses on increasing a person’s knowledge, motivation, and skills essential to performing a behavior and is a useful approach for influencing sexual health behaviors (Rongkavilit et al., 2010). This model has been used in a variety of studies that focus on changing behaviors regarding sexual health. Several interventions have found that the use of the IMB model has increased preventive sexual health behaviors. Fisher, Fisher, Misovich, Kimble, & Malloy (1996) conducted an intervention in which one group of students received an IMB model-based intervention that focused on AIDS risk reduction while another group of students received no treatment. A 1-month follow-up showed that the intervention was successful in increasing AIDS risk reduction knowledge as well as stimulating safer sex conversations and increasing condom use during sexual intercourse. Long-term follow up showed that students had increases in AID...
Students should be informed about more than just “don’t have sex” because eventually it is going to happen and they need to be educated on the proper way to handle the situations. Because students are mostly taught abstinence it has created the situation to where researchers find” Abstinence-only education, instead of reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, has made teenagers and young adults more vulnerable to ST...
Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs are an increasing problem in today’s society. There are many of them and the number is increasing in the youth of the nation. According to a 2000 poll, 18.9 million cases were reported, and of that number, 9.1 million occurred in people between the ages of 15 to 24. America needs to recognize this problem more fully and find a cure for it. Abstinence is one way to help, but what people need to realize is that it is not working.
Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the U.S. in the early 1980s the issue of sex education for American youth has had the attention of the nation. There are about 400,000 teen births every year in the U.S, with about 9 billion in associated public costs. STI contraction in general, as well as teen pregnancy, have put the subject even more so on the forefront of the nation’s leading issues. The approach and method for proper and effective sex education has been hotly debated. Some believe that teaching abstinence-only until marriage is the best method while others believe that a more comprehensive approach, which includes abstinence promotion as well as contraceptive information, is necessary. Abstinence-only program curriculums disregard medical ethics and scientific accuracy, and have been empirically proven to be ineffective; therefore, comprehensive sex education programs which are medically accurate, science-based and empirically proven should be the standard method of sex education for students/children in the U.S.
DiClemente, R. J., McDermott-Sales, J., Danner, F., Crosby, R. A. (2011). Association Between Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Young Adults’ Self-Reported Abstinence. Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. February, 2011; 127: 208-213.
Not surprisingly the lack of useful sexual information is one of the reasons of the spreading sex related diseases. According to The American Social Health Association (1998) each year there are near ten million of new cases of sexually transmitted diseases among the teenage...
Personality can be defined as an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting. Many personality theorists have put forward claims as to where personality is derived from and how it develops throughout an individual’s life. The two main personality theories this essay will be focusing on is the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) (Bandura, 1986) and the Trait Theory – Five Factor Theory (FFT) (McCrae and Costa, 1995). The SCT allocates a central role to cognitive, observational learning and self-regulatory processes (Bandura, 1986). An individual’s personality develops through experiences with their sociocultural environment. Whereas the Trait Theory proposes that all individuals are predisposed with five traits (Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Neuroticism) which determines our personality. This theory also puts forward that personality is stable and cannot change as it’s biologically determined.
Theoretical perspectives in the study of human behavior can easily be applied to cases in social work practice. The mental health field in particular lends itself to the application of different human behavior theories. Specifically, depression can be viewed through the lens of Social Cognitive Theory, or Social Cognitive Learning. There is one case of a woman with depression, whose name will be changed, that social cognitive theory can be applied to. Cheryl is a 58 year old woman who has been diagnosed with Major depressive disorder. She has had this diagnosis since she was 17 years old. Many of her symptoms and experiences can be viewed or explained in terms of social cognitive theory.
The government likes to pretend that if high school students get taught the “abstinence-only” method they would never think of taking part in sexual activities. Statistically this is incorrect. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “56 percent of high school students are virgins”(Martin). For the 56 percent abstinence only is doing them well, but there are still 44 percent of high school students engaging in sex without knowing the precau...
In the United States, it should be very important to discuss the importance of abstinence among young people of the ages 10 through 25. In industrialized countries, it is very common that teenagers would start indulging in sexual activities at the same age. Studies have proven that adolescences sexual behavior helps to increase self-esteem and identity formation, which helps with the social and romantic interactions in their society. Studies have shown that these behaviors and characteristics are relevant to birth and pregnancy rates, as well as to the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The centers for Disease Control
The concept of “sex sales” is used for sexual related situations and scenarios to promote a product or object for purchase. It would appear that sex is normal and a part of everyday conversations, when in fact its not. The act of using sex for sales is acceptable, but actually talking about sex and the implications of having inaccurate information is yet to become a norm in today’s society. Sexual education used to start the first year of high school with no defiant plan of action in regards to a lesson plan. Majority of the times, the information presented was inaccurate and the main lesson was abstinence only. (Ramey, 2016) Talking about sex and the importance of protection has left many younger people with little to no education over the act of having sex. According to a study performed by Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall and David W. Hall, over “Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S.” In 2005 the US had a teen pregnancy rate of 72%, which was the highest amongst other countries such as the Netherlands, France, and Germany. Also, 21 out of the 48 states in the US monitored promoted abstinence only programs for sexual education. Not only are the pregnancy rates high in the US from lack of a better sexual education system but the rates of STD’s/STI’s are high as well with a little over ten thousand teens
Social cognitive theory is the study on how an individual stores, processes, and applies information about others in their everyday life. It was first known as the “Social Learning Theory”, and was later changed to the term known today as the “Social Cognitive Theory”. The definition of social cognition is defined as any cognitive process that involves one or more than one person. While the definition of cognition is unconscious process in the brain that bring about representations. Social cognition purpose is to study social knowledge, social structure, group behavior, social influences, social categories (age, race, sex) defines a person. (Science Direct) Social cognition is thought to be the outcome of social interactions. One will learn by observing others, this is known as vicarious learning. For example, one is more likely to follow another’s behavior if they can identify with them, whether it be personality wise, age proximity, and more. (Verywell)
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too (What is Breast Cancer, 2015). The purpose of this evaluation is to introduce the audience to breast cancer; discuss risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis; address the mind- body connection of breast cancer and suggestions for prevention and treatment; and provide an overview of breast cancer in social cognitive theory framework. Lastly, one alternative intervention for breast cancer will be highlighted in accordance with the social cognitive
There is no one way to learn! Throughout life is faced with many different learning experiences. Some of these experiences have made a better impact than others on different people. At one time in everyone’s life one has seen or have been the child who will attempt to read a single page from a book and become so frustrated and disorientated because she or he does not comprehended nor can one retell what one has just read. This was me, the child who struggled and just did not understand what I was reading. My teachers would present reading material and I would have to read it countless times and sometimes still I did not understand what the reading passage was about. However, with time I started to develop step by step process to help me better understand what I was reading, and finally it all came together. One way to help things to come together for a person is through the Cognitive Theory. The Cognitive Theory presents different theories for the way that one can be taught in different subjects, the different types of learners, and advantages of understanding the process in which one can go through to learn better.
Abstinence-only education has been predominant method for teaching sexual education in the U.S. for the past several decades. The goal of all sexual education is to educate young people regarding prevention of unwanted pregnancies and STI transmission. However, abstinence-only education attempts to accomplish this by teaching adolescents to simply not have sex, neither providing any education on contraceptives and STI transmission. While abstinence-only education is technically an effective method there are opinions and statistics that would disagree and conclude that comprehensive sex education is better equipped to educate on a wider range of topics.