In this research we identify the correlates and predictors of risky sexual behaviors among an ethnically diverse sample of college students attending a large state university in the southeastern US (N = 338). Nine risk and 5 protective factors served as independent predictive factors in the analyses. The dependent variable was risky sexual behaviors scale score. Six of the 9 risk factors and 4 of the 5 protective factors were significantly correlated with scores on the risky sexual behaviors scale. Regression analyses identified 6 significant predictors of risky sexual practices: number of partners in last 6 months; religious values; condom attitudes; age at first sex; binging on alcohol; and residential locus. These terms explained 29.4% of the total variance in risky sexual behavior scores. Implications for prevention programs and future research are discussed.
Of 120 substance-abusing adolescents and young adults undergoing treatment, the majority reported engaging in several types of risky sexual behavior, both with and without concurrent substance use. Data analysis revealed that AIDS knowledge, decision-making style, drinking motives, and perceived vulnerability to HIV were significant predictors of such behavior. Findings are discussed with a view to enhancing prevention efforts among high-risk adolescents.
Although violent sexual assaults occur in adolescence, lessfrequently recognized are the more subtle forms of sexual coercion. This investigation focused on adolescents'perceived ability to say no to pressures from a partner to engage in unwanted sex. With a sample of 2,472 10th-grade White, Hispanic, and Black adolescents, which adolescents may have had a more difficult time saying no to unwanted sex was examined. Results indicated that females were more likely than males to believe that they could say no to unwanted sex, but no consistent differences were found among the racial and ethnic groups. Multivariate analyses revealed several other predictors of the perceived ability to say no, including a less-permissive attitude toward sex, the low importance of peer influence and, for females, a generalized sense of self-efficacy. Implications of these results for intervention andfuture research are discussed.
Data are presented on the prevalence of bulimic symptoms and bulimia among a sample of adults residing in north-central Florida (n = 2,075). The data were gathered between 1984 and 1986. The sample included 1,736 whites and 339 blacks, of whom 1,040 were females and 1,035 were males. A current diagnosis of bulimia was made using the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Third Edition (DSM-III), of the American Psychiatric Association. Females had significantly higher rates than did males on nine of the 10 bulimic symptoms. Blacks had symptom rates equal to or greater than whites on eight of the 10 items, and those in the lowest socioeconomic groups (SES) had rates greater than those in the highest SES group on nine of the 10 symptoms. Eight persons, 0.4% of the total sample, met the DSM-III criteria for a diagnosis of bulimia. These included six white females and two black males. Five of the females were aged 18-29 years; one was over 45. Five of the females were in the lower middle SES group; one was in the upper middle SES group. Both of the black males were aged 30-44, and both were in the lowest SES group. The data emphasize the need to distinguish between bulimic type symptoms and bulimia when estimating the prevalence of eating-related problems in the general population.
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