Medical sex education: Allowing attitude alteration

Medical sex education courses throughout the United States are quite variable in design, strategy, format, and goals. This article reviews the findings of the published studies, and examines the effect of medical sex education on both students' sexual attitudes toward self and others and students' attitudes toward women. This study used a simple pre- and postcourse measuring design with a matched sampling technique. Data derived from 41 matched subjects support the effectiveness of the medical sex education course in altering students' attitudes by increasing their tolerance of others' sexual behavior and fantasy, as well as influencing their own tolerance of their own sexual fantasies. Little to no effect on students' own sexual behavior was noted. The data replicate the attitudinal effects of a medical sex education course conducted with a markedly different regional population and a different course format. A most striking finding is that following a medical sex education course, students are noted to be less dogmatic in nonsexual opinion, as measured by the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale.This study was supported by NIMH Grant MN13825.