Sex education has long been a topic full of controversy. While it is important for adolescents to be aware of the health, relational, emotional, and spiritual considerations involved with sexual activity, many argue that the standard approach to sex ed can actually encourage young people to engage in risky behaviors.
This week on Family Policy Matters, host Traci DeVette Griggs welcomes Brittany Hausmann, Director of Educational Outreach at Alternatives Care Centers, to discuss more effective strategies to teach young people about the importance of healthy sexual behavior.
Parents, please note that this episode touches on some mature topics, so please be cautious if listening with young children.
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Family Policy Matters
A Better Option For Sex Ed (with Brittany Hausmann)
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: Thanks for joining us this week for Family Policy Matters. In a culture that inundates us with sexually charged and confusing messages, it’s more important than ever that we communicate effectively with the young people in our lives about a higher view of human sexuality and sexual activity. But what’s the best way to do that? Well, Brittany Hausmann, Director of Educational Outreach at Alternative Care Centers in Michigan, says the way we communicate can be different depending on whether you’re talking to young men or young women. Well, we’re grateful to have her with us today to talk about that and share some of her insights. Brittany Hausmann, welcome to Family Policy Matters.
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: Hi. Thank you for having me.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: All right. Well, you actually teach teachers of what’s called sexual risk avoidance education, so tell us what that is, and how is that different from maybe the abstinence education that we used to hear so much about
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: Sexual risk avoidance ultimately has similar goals as to what we may have known as abstinence only education. However, the approach is quite different in the way that we focus more on the outcomes of stepping into a risk behavior like sexual activity, and so we try to move away from just focusing on the front end. Some may have criticized in the past of shameful abstinence message, and really just focusing on goals and outcomes of a student. And how, if we step into those risk behaviors, we then are vulnerable to the consequences of those.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: How effective is sexual risk avoidance. Have you guys done some research on that?
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: Yeah, so we have seen there’s a plethora of data that is supportive of the success sequence, which is a model that we use in our teaching as well. That success sequence says that young people are more likely to reap better outcomes, both for mental health, physical wellbeing, social health. It’s quite extensive, the research there and the success sequence would tell you that a young person should, in this order, graduate high school, get a full-time job, and then get married before having children. And so similar to some of those outcomes we see in sexual risk avoidance education, that young people who participate in our programs, they are delaying the onset of sexual activity, so the debuting of sexual activity, they have better outcomes, similar to that of the success sequence, and they’re less likely to have multiple sexual partners. They’re less likely to step into other risk behaviors. We think about substance abuse and things like that. So, there is a number of benefits that come from participating in a sexual risk avoidance program.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: What are some other main points that you might want to make when you’re standing before a bunch of students and trying to teach SRA?
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: Well, one of the central messages I try to relay to my students is that anytime you are stepping into a risk behavior, you must be willing to accept the consequences. We have free will and choice, and we are not free to choose, however, the consequences that come from those behaviors. So, if you’re willing to step into something, sexual activity, for example, then you must be willing to assume the consequences that can come from that, whether it be an unplanned pregnancy, an unforeseen sexually transmitted infection or disease, you know. And some of these have even longer-term effects, some of these STIs that go untreated, we could be looking at something like infertility, a disease that lasts a lifetime. And so again, we’re not free to choose the consequences of the behaviors that we choose. The other thing that I think is really important for a young person to understand is that there’s always an invitation to turn the bus around, if you will. So, if someone has already stepped into a risk behavior, it is never too late to turn things around and make different choices to secure those positive outcomes later in life.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: You said that talking to young men about risk avoidance is different than talking about young women. So, talk about that a little bit. How would we maybe need to be talking a little differently to young men, as opposed to the young women we’re around?
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: I dug in and researched for about a year after I heard someone say that if we focus too much on the risk, then we might actively be inviting young boys or young men into that risk. And that was really alarming to me, because as someone who teaches sexual risk avoidance, I talk about risk a lot, and so I’ve been working hard at changing my approach. And so, something that I think young boys and men should be aware of, and especially young or especially adults who are reaching those young people, is that boys are just wired, both physiologically and anatomically, to be attracted to risk. When we’re talking about sexual risk avoidance, the pre optic area of the hypothalamus controls sexual behavior, and in a boy who’s approaching puberty, that is two times greater in size as compared to girls that same age. And so that is something to be aware of when we’re teaching about sexual activity. Similarly, the subcortical regions of the brain, those are rapid firing and that same age of pre-pubescent or a boy approaching puberty, and that controls impulsivity. And so, if we’re thinking about that timing, a boy who is more wired to be attracted to sexual activity is also at the same time struggling with impulsivity that paired with what is oftentimes generally known that our prefrontal cortex, the front area of our brain that’s responsible for critical thinking, that isn’t really fully developed or coming online, to where some researchers are pushing out to 26 for a young man. So, all of these things happening both anatomically and physiologically in a young boy, I think that a young person should have access to that information and fully understand it, when considering things like sexual activity. And if an adult in a young person’s life is aware of that happening as well and can really help them to engage that critical thinking when we’re talking about all of these happening, all these things happening at the same time, I think young people will be better equipped to make decisions around their sexual activity. What a better opportunity to equip a young boy in understanding what’s happening in his body, what’s happening in his brain, why he’s predisposed to these risks. He should have access to that information as he’s deciding what risk behaviors he’s willing to step into.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: So, do you feel like this kind of teaching, the sexual risk avoidance message, is getting through to this younger generation?
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: I’m certainly hopeful. I do think young people are craving truth and healthy information. You know, while some people are really critical of technology and social media and things that we have at our fingertips, in the same token, young people have access to seeking factual information. And so, my hope is that that crave, you know, for some balance and sort of a pendulum swing, if you will. You know, I’m hopeful that young people will continue to value and not only know their own value, but to value an opportunity to fulfill all of their goals and dreams. You know, we want young people to achieve optimal health and just to be well, and this is certainly critical in that path. And so, I’m hopeful, but the culture is loud too, you know, there’s lots of noise. And so, it’s so important that adults who have an opportunity to speak into young people’s lives, you know, sort of counter some of that unhealthy messaging that people are receiving.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: Talk a little bit about how important it is for us as grandparents, parents, teachers of other topics, of other issues and subjects, to be somewhat educated on this, and how can we go about in just a conversation that we might have, a casual conversation of reinforcing some of these things that you’re teaching.
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: For a parent or grandparent, someone who spends time with young people, equip yourself, seek the information. There’s an organization called Ascend that offers lots of resources, and also be equipped on the reverse side of that, understand what’s happening in culture. Be aware of what your children or grandchildren, perhaps, are being exposed to. I would say, trusting what they’re being exposed to without having your own eyes on it is a slippery slope. Even some seemingly harmless websites and social media can be quite dangerous. Another great resource FightTheNewDrug.org that specifically focuses on pornography consumption and the danger in that. We’re seeing statistics coming out that young people are more and more exposed to pornography as early as age nine, and so just equip yourselves. Seek the information, get support. Seek support from you know, educators, from other parents, and just be in the know. And then ultimately, start with trust first, make sure you’re always telling the truth. Have age-appropriate conversations. You know, don’t start with sex, but start with love and healthy relationships and what that looks like. And don’t shy away from just telling the truth. You’ll never go wrong by telling the truth.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: Let’s talk a little more about pornography, and talk about why those decisions of those things that young people are watching and seeing on online are so important for their ability to make good decisions.
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: Pornography, we are learning a lot about, it’s a topic of conversation right now, and we’re seeing some really troubling statistics. I mentioned that the age that people are starting to view pornography is getting younger and younger. On the flip side of that, we’re seeing some really troubling things. The most frequently searched genre of pornography has to do with violence. Young people are having a really hard time separating reality versus what they’ve seen in this virtual reality, if you will, this virtual idea of how sexual activity occurs. And even more troubling, in my opinion, we’re seeing that a vast increase in college aged young men having sort of physiological problems, including erectile dysfunction, because they have been so stimulated by this false reality of internet-based love and sexual activity. And so, then when they are in actual reality, they’re having some physiological issues. We have more and more college age young men seeking assistance from medical providers for erectile dysfunction. So, there’s quite a lot of layering in there in terms of the dangers of pornography. Again, that website FightTheNewDrug.org is an incredible resource for parents. Be aware, you know, where are your children having an opportunity to be exposed to the internet? You know, are they getting on the internet at a friend’s house? Do you have your devices under parental controls? You know it’s so important to protect your children before they are exposed to pornography. It’s so dangerous.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: All right. Well, that’s all great information. Brittany Hausmann, give us some information then, now, on where we can go to learn more about the kinds of things that we’ve been talking about here for the last few minutes.
BRITTANY HAUSMANN: WeAscend.org is a great resource to learn more about sexual risk avoidance. That’s that, you know, primary prevention model, just avoiding sexual risk altogether. There’s great resources for families and educators on that website. And then, in terms of the organization that I work for, you can find that at AlternativesCC.org, and I’m happy to connect with anyone who would like to continue the conversation.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: All right. Brittany Hausmann, Director of Educational Outreach at Alternatives Cares Centers. Thank you so much for being with us today on Family Policy Matters.
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