Fourteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Adolescents use social media for information on medical and social aspects of maturation. Here we investigate adolescents’ information needs regarding menarche and first sexual intercourse, as evident on Yahoo Answers, a social media question-and-answer website. A total of 1226 questions from the site about these topics were analyzed, focusing on 123 question pairs made by users who asked questions on both topics and reported their ages at each. Qualitative analysis identified uncertainty as a significant theme for both menarche and first intercourse. Quantitative analysis showed uncertainty expressed in 26% of menarche questions and 14% of intercourse questions. Lack of communication was expressed in 4% of menarche questions and 8% of intercourse questions. Ages at menarche and first sexual intercourse were correlated: Women reporting menarche at age 13 or younger were 2.6 times more likely to experience first sexual intercourse before age 16 (P=0.0002, chi2 test). Older age at menarche was associated with deficient communication with parents (ANOVA, P=0.0018). Our results show many questions stem from deficient information and poor communication with caregivers, with more normative and expected behaviors appearing less. Therefore, parents and educators should, to the extent possible, improve communication around these topic especially at atypical ages.