International behavioral research requires instruments that are not culturally-biased to assess sensation seeking. In this study we described a culturally adapted version of the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale for Chinese (BSSS-C) and its psychometric characteristics. The adapted scale was assessed using an adult sample (n=238) with diverse educational and residential backgrounds. The BSSS-C (Cronbach alpha=0.90) was correlated with the original Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (r = 0.85, p<0.01) and fitted the four-factor model well (CFI=0.98, SRMR=0.03). The scale scores significantly predicted intention to and actual engagement in a number of health risk behaviors, including alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and sexual risk behaviors. In conclusion, the BSSS-C has adequate reliability and validity, supporting its utility in China and potential in other developing countries.

Preadolescents and mid-adolescents in HIV-affected countries should receive HIV prevention interventions that include parental participation.

No abstract

Purpose Age of the target audience at time of intervention is thought to be a critical variable influencing the effectiveness of adolescent sexual risk reduction interventions. Despite this postulated importance, to date studies have not been designed to enable a direct comparison of outcomes according to age at time of intervention delivery. Methods We examined outcomes of 598 youth who were sequentially involved in two randomized controlled trials of sexual risk prevention interventions, the first one delivered in grade 6 [Focus on Youth in the Caribbean (FOYC)] and the second one in grade ten [Bahamian Focus on Older Youth (BFOOY)]. Four groups were examined, including those who received: 1) both treatment conditions, FOYC and BFOOY; 2) FOYC in grade 6 and the control condition in grade 10; 3) the control condition in grade 6 and BFOOY in grade 10; and 4) both control conditions. Intentions, perceptions, condom-use skills as well as HIV-related knowledge were assessed over 60 months. Results Data showed that those who received both interventions had the greatest increase in condom-use skills. Youth who received FOYC in grade 6 had greater scores in knowledge and intention. Conclusion These results suggest that youth receive the most protection with early and repeated exposure to interventions. These findings suggest that educators should consider implementing HIV prevention and risk reduction programs as a fixed component of education curriculum beginning in the pre-adolescent years and if possible also during the adolescent years.

Dramatic changes occur in abstract reasoning, physical maturation, familial relationships and risk exposure during adolescence. It is probable that delivery of behavioral interventions addressing decision-making during the pre-adolescent period and later in adolescence would result in different impacts. We evaluated the intervention effects of an HIV prevention program (Bahamian Focus on Older Youth, BFOOY) administered to grade 10 Bahamian youth and parents to target HIV protective and risk behaviors. We also examined the effects of prior exposure to a similar intervention (Focus on Youth in the Caribbean, FOYC) four years earlier. At six months post-intervention, receipt of BFOOY by youth unexposed to FOYC increased HIV knowledge and condom-use skills. Differences based on BFOOY exposure were not present among FOYC-exposed youth, whose knowledge and condom-use skills were already higher than those of unexposed youth. Youth receiving both interventions displayed a carryover effect from FOYC, demonstrating the highest scores six months post-intervention.