Condom use, frequency of sex, and number of partners: Multidimensional characterization of adolescent sexual risk‐taking

Abstract

Sexual health research often relies on single risk indicators. However multi-variable composites may better capture the underlying construct of risk-taking. Latent Profile Analysis identified subgroups based on condom use consistency, partner numbers, and sex frequency among 605 adolescents. Three profiles were identified for each of grades 8 to 10 (Condom Users, Few Partners, and Risk-Takers) and 4 in grades 11 and 12 (Condom Users, One Partner Two Partners, and Risk-Takers). Inconsistent condom use groups reported more non-condom (and often less effective) birth control use and STD and pregnancy histories. Females had greater representation in the Few Partners, One Partners, and Two Partners groups, which also contained increasing proportions of participants in each subsequent year. Males had greater representation in the Risk-Takers group. A profile approach to measurement has methodological advantages, can add to substantive knowledge, and can inform content, timing, and targets of sexual health interventions.

HIV-Related Sexual Risk Behavior Among African American Adolescent Girls

“…This may be a unique and noteworthy descriptor of this particular population, in comparison to other samples such as school-based samples of African American adolescent girls and boys, where both Beadnell et al 5 and Newman and Zimmerman 11 found evidence of a subgroup who used condoms consistently with a moderate number of sexual partners. The current findings suggest that assessing and addressing barriers to consistent condom use is important when providing healthcare services to African American female adolescents.…”

“…Although multiple evidence-based HIV-prevention interventions have been developed and rigorously evaluated for adolescent populations, 3 limited resources (cost, personnel, space, time) support the utility of identifying youth at highest risk for infection. Numerous research efforts over the past several decades have uncovered a range of individual risk factors contributing to HIV infection among African American girls, including infrequent condom use, 4 multiple sexual partners, 5 substance use, 6 low self-esteem, 7 interpersonal trauma (e.g., child sexual abuse), 8 and ineffective coping styles. 9 However, epidemiologic data have highlighted that these behaviors do not occur in isolation and that HIV risk is heightened by the co-occurrence of such risk factors.…”

“…HIV risk behavior profiles among youth in the school setting has been explored with similar statistical procedures (latent profile analysis, cluster analysis), yielding a three-profile (condom users, few partners, and risk takers) solution for 8th to 10th graders, 5 a four-profile (condom users, one partner, two partners, and risk takers) solution for 11th and 12th graders, 5 and four cluster (low risk, monogamy, condom, and high risk) solutions for high school students 15-18 years. 5,11 Although these studies help account for more complex behavioral patterns of school-based adolescent sexual risk behavior, these mixed gender samples focused on narrower age range of youth recruited from a school-based setting and included abstinent youth in one of the studies. 5 Combined with the lack of assessment and consideration of other individual HIV risk factors (e.g., sexual abuse history 8 ) within these studies, the generalizability of such findings to at-risk adolescent girls presenting to sexual healthcare clinics is limited.…”

“…5,11 Although these studies help account for more complex behavioral patterns of school-based adolescent sexual risk behavior, these mixed gender samples focused on narrower age range of youth recruited from a school-based setting and included abstinent youth in one of the studies. 5 Combined with the lack of assessment and consideration of other individual HIV risk factors (e.g., sexual abuse history 8 ) within these studies, the generalizability of such findings to at-risk adolescent girls presenting to sexual healthcare clinics is limited. Thus, further research is warranted in this area.…”

Contracepção em jovens universitários portugueses

“…Diversos estudos, realizados no âmbito dos comportamentos sexuais, consideram os jovens um grupo prioritário de intervenção (Almeida et al, 1996;Nodin, 2001) devido ao início da actividade sexual ser cada vez mais cedo (Lindsay, Smith & Rosenthal, 1997;Nodin, 2001), à duração dos relacionamentos, à existência de parceiros ocasionais e ao uso inconsistente dos métodos contraceptivos e do preservativo (Beadnell et al, 2005;Brook et al, 2006).…”