This isn't the first study that has reported a link between listening to music with sexually-charged lyrics and teens that have sex. But, here again, cause and effect isn't specifically identified in the research. So, is it raunchy music that leads to kids having sex, or is it the other way around, namely that kids who have sex tend to listen to raunchy music? I'm certainly not an advocate for either listening to raunchy music, nor premarital sex. And it seems probable to me that those who listen regularly to songs filled with sexual imagery are indeed affected by the messages they contain which can then reasonably lead to changed behaviors. But, until we get some clear indication from research that this is the direction the cause and effect flows, I won't use studies like these as an argument to make the case. Your thoughts?
There's still no firm proof that raunchy music makes kids have sex, but a new study provides another suggestion that there's at least some kind of link between "degrading" songs and teenage sexual activity.
The findings indicate that "people who are exposed to certain messages in music are more likely to copy or emulate what they hear," said Dr. Brian A. Primack, a pediatrician and lead author of the study released Tuesday.
In other words, teens who hear about degrading sexual practices in their favorite songs might decide to try them out themselves. However, it's also possible that the reverse is true: Kids who have sex just happen to like raunchy music.
The researchers looked for links between the listening habits of the students and their sexual activity. Their findings are scheduled to be published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
After adjusting the statistics in their findings to account for the possible influence of such factors as race and age, the researchers found that youths who listened most to "degrading" songs were more than twice as likely to have had intercourse.
Source: U.S. News & World Report
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/02/24/degrading-lyrics-linked-to-teen-sex.html
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