The association between school-based sex education and experienced sexual pleasure of young adults in the Netherlands

Abstract

While sex positive thinking is up and coming, pleasure is an issue still neglected in education, policy and research. Using data from the ‘Sex under 25’ study of Rutgers, this research tested the assumption that the comprehensiveness of sex education is associated with the perceived sexual pleasure of adolescents. Participants filled in a questionnaire on the topics they discussed during school based sex education and the quality of their sexual experiences. The sample included 6.186 participants. In this data no significant correlation was found between the comprehensiveness of sex ed and perceived pleasure. However, there was a positive correlation between both parent and peer communication and pleasure. With the current limitations of this analysis, a correlation between CSE and pleasure can’t be ruled out, therefore more research is necessary.