School Sex Education and Youth Sexual Attitudes in Canada

Background and Purpose: School sex education is a critical component of healthy sexual development. Most Canadian youth will become sexually active in their teens, and sex education, mandated in Ontario schools and currently undergoing changes, aims to teach youth about healthy sexual expression and relationships. Although sex education in Canada is geared towards the teaching of safe and healthy sexuality, program delivery may vary dramatically, as formal curriculum guidelines do not exist. Additionally, sex education tends to focus on issues such as pregnancy and disease, often avoiding or skimming areas such as relationships or sexual violence. Building upon previous research exploring implicit sexual messages, this study explores the impact of concrete sex education information conveyed, considering relationships between sex education information and sexual assertiveness, self-efficacy, and rape myth acceptance.

Methods: Participants were 330 first-year undergraduates (mean age=19; 56% female; 54% Caucasian; 72% heterosexual) attending a university in southwestern Ontario. Participants received course credit for completing an online survey about their sex education, attitudes, and experiences. Sex education information received was assessed by asking about 35 topics with the heading, “How much information did you receive about the following in your school sex education?” Through factor analysis, five subscales were created: information about dating violence (8 items; alpha=.89); biology and health (7 items; alpha=.85); sexual behavior (5 items; alpha=.80); rape (3 items; alpha=.78) and dating and gender norms (5 items; alpha=.67). Participants were also asked about their sexual assertiveness and comfort, sexual self-efficacy, and acceptance of rape myths.

Results: OLS regression revealed that after controlling for relevant socio-demographics, sex education messaging about dating violence was significantly linked with sexual comfort and assertiveness (b=.27, p<.01) while rape information was negatively linked with assertiveness (b=-.20, p<.05). Rape myths acceptance was negatively linked with receipt of biology and health information (b=-.30, p<.001) and conversely, positively linked with information about sexual behavior (b=.17, p<.05.)

Conclusions and Implications: School sex education appears to be linked with youth attitudes regarding sexual assertiveness, comfort, and rape myths. These are important topics which may contribute to the health and safety of adolescents and emerging adults as they explore relationships. However, results suggest that sex education messages may have both positive and negative influences and may even conflict. Messages may contribute to increased acceptance of rape myths or lowered sexual comfort or assertiveness. Given that these attitudes may be linked with negative outcomes, including greater acceptance of sexual assault, further investigation is warranted. Social workers can play a critical role across practice, policy, and research, working to better understand nuances in sex education, advocate for more thoughtful, consistent, and equitable programming, support youth facing mixed messages and social pressures, and prioritize adolescent sexual health. Sex education, gender and sexual health, and violence prevention are social justice issues, particularly in light of the current political and social climate in North America and beyond, and social work is uniquely positioned to make a positive difference.