“I am aware of the risks, I am not changing my behaviour”: risky sexual behaviour of university students in a high-HIV context

Mthembu, Zinhle; Maharaj, Pranitha; Rademeyer, Shanaaz

doi:10.2989/16085906.2019.1655075

Cited by 22 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Regardless of gender and sexual orientation, the absence of a stable relationship was positively linked with the tendency to enact RSB and decreased emotional experience of safeness and contentment. Previous studies underlined that casual or abbreviated length relationships and infidelity represent risk factors for RSB (Mthembu et al, 2019;Schmitt, 2004). Engaging in more RSB when people are not in stable relationships seems not to be connected to an overall increase in the sense of excitement and arousal but to a decreased emotional experience of warmth, safeness, and contentment that stable relationships provide.…”

Section: Sexual Minority People Heterosexual Peoplementioning

confidence: 86%

“I Do Not Like Being Me”: the Impact of Self-hate on Increased Risky Sexual Behavior in Sexual Minority People

et al. 2021

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Background Increased risky sexual behaviors (RSB) in sexual minority people relative to heterosexual individuals are well documented. However, the role of trans-diagnostic factors that are not sexual orientation-specific, such as self-criticism, in predicting RSB was understudied. The present study aimed to test participants’ gender and sexual orientation as moderators between self-criticism and RSB. Methods Data were collected during 2019. The total sample included 986 sexual minority people (Nwomen = 51%) and 853 heterosexual people (Nwomen = 46%), ranging from 18 to 35 years of age. Self-criticism dimensions (self-hate, self-inadequacy, self-reassurance), types of positive affect (relaxed, safe/content, and activated affect), and RSB were assessed. Bivariate, multivariate analyses, and moderated regression analyses were conducted. Results Sexual minority participants showed higher levels of RSB, self-hate, and self-inadequacy than heterosexual people. Only in sexual minority men, RSB correlated positively with self-hate and negatively with safe/content positive affect. Moderated regressions showed that only for sexual minority participants, higher RSB were predicted by higher levels of self-hate. At the same time, this association was not significant for heterosexual people controlling the effects of age, presence of a stable relationship, other self-criticism dimensions, and activation safe/content affect scale. The two-way interaction between sexual orientation and gender was significant, showing that regardless of self-hate, the strength of the association between sexual orientation and RSB is stronger for sexual minority men than sexual minority women and heterosexual participants. Conclusions Findings highlight the distinctive role of self-hate in the occurrence of RSB in sexual minority people and support the usefulness of developing a compassion-focused intervention to target self-hate in sexual minority people.

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Section: Sexual Minority People Heterosexual Peoplementioning

confidence: 86%

“I Do Not Like Being Me”: the Impact of Self-hate on Increased Risky Sexual Behavior in Sexual Minority People

et al. 2021

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“…Such behaviors are prevalent among adolescents and young adults in university, especially in relation to inconsistent use of condoms (Pimentel et al, 2016;Sales et al, 2016;Palacios-Delgado & Ortego-Garcia, 2018;Kassie et al, 2019). The reasons identified for such conduct include social acceptance, difficulty negotiating the use of a condom with one's respective partner, association of using condoms with infidelity, and the perceived loss of pleasure due its use (Mthembu et al, 2019). Although many understand the associated risks are aware of safe sex practices, in practice, they do not apply this knowledge due to the belief of self-control (Xu et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender implications in sex education, knowledge, and vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections of healthcare students

Andrade

Rocha

Tavares

et al. 2021

RSD

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The challenges posed by the implementation of sex education within a social context, by teachers or parents, are impasses that compromise adolescents’ and young adults’ sexual health, resulting in sexual risk behaviors. This study evaluated the forms of sex education, knowledge about sexually transmitted infections, and the vulnerability of university students within the Brazilian Legal Amazon. A total of 149 healthcare students provided their sociodemographic data and how they obtain information about safe sex practices. The data collected were evaluated using the Sexually Transmitted Disease Knowledge Questionnaire (STD-KQ) questionnaire. Bivariate analyses and Pearson correlation were performed. The sources of sex education were primarily accessed by students approaching course completion and female students nearing graduation, through teachers, specialized books, media, and friends. In general, men were found to have a higher degree of knowledge about STIs, while women reported feeling less protected sexually. Time spent at the university and the knowledge men possess were not found to reduce risky behavior. This cross-sectional study confirms that interventions to combat misinformation in the face of risky sexual behaviors and their consequences should be prioritized and should consider the gender of individuals and all the differences in the perceptions and actions of both male and female healthcare students.

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“…Condom use has been proven to be effective in the prevention of HIV transmission when used consistently and correctly [5,6]. Despite knowledge and awareness of high-risk sexual behaviors and the potential for HIV transmission, university students are vulnerable to HIV acquisition as they have multiple sexual partners, sexual encounters while intoxicated [7], and often do not employ strategies to decrease the likelihood of HIV transmission, such as consistent condom use [4,8,9]. Data on HIV prevalence among university students in Mozambique are limited.…”

Section: Introduction/backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining utilization of HIV prevention and testing services among university students in Mozambique: results from a mixed methods study

et al. 2021

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Background In Mozambique, HIV infection disproportionately affects young adults, particularly women. Despite awareness and knowledge of HIV transmission, many university students have not received HIV testing and continue to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors, including inconsistent condom use. Further understanding of patterns of engagement with HIV prevention and testing is key to reducing HIV transmission in this at-risk population. Methods This study used a sequential mixed methods approach to examine patterns of engagement and perceptions of HIV prevention and testing services among higher education students in Mozambique. Survey data were collected from a representative sample of 501 students from Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Maputo, Mozambique to assess the primary outcomes of 1) HIV testing within the last 12 months; and 2) condom use during last sexual encounter. We employed univariate and multivariate regression models. The survey was followed by qualitative interviews with 70 survey participants which were analyzed using an inductive, content-focused analysis to further explain and contextualize survey findings. Results Over 85% of students reported to be sexually active, among these 74% reported condom use during their last sexual encounter, and 64.2% reported an HIV test within the past 12 months. Females were more likely to have had HIV testing in the past 12 months in comparison to their male peers (aOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.11, 2.99), but were half as likely to have used a condom with their last sexual encounter (aOR 0.52, 95% CI 0.33, 0.83), when controlling for other factors. Qualitative data suggests that these discrepancies may be explained by differential perceptions in risk and trust/mistrust, with women being more concerned about infidelity by their male partner(s) and assuming more responsibility for knowing their own serostatus. Women were also subject to negative stereotypes for possessing condoms in comparison to men, which could explain lower propensity for use. Conclusion Given gendered differences in uptake of condom use and HIV testing, and perceived HIV risk, interventions tailored specifically to male and female students may impact engagement with HIV prevention and testing and empower informed choices about sexual behaviors.

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“I am aware of the risks, I am not changing my behaviour”: risky sexual behaviour of university students in a high-HIV context

Cited by 22 publications

References 45 publications

“I Do Not Like Being Me”: the Impact of Self-hate on Increased Risky Sexual Behavior in Sexual Minority People

“I Do Not Like Being Me”: the Impact of Self-hate on Increased Risky Sexual Behavior in Sexual Minority People

Gender implications in sex education, knowledge, and vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections of healthcare students

Explaining utilization of HIV prevention and testing services among university students in Mozambique: results from a mixed methods study

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