Marijuana use and risky sexual behavior among high-risk adolescents: Trajectories, risk factors, and event-level relationships.

Abstract

Adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system have a high incidence of risky sexual behaviors resulting in unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Substance use may be particularly important as a risk factor for unsafe sexual behavior for this group, and recent evidence suggests a possible association between marijuana use and risky sexual behavior. Adolescents (n = 728; 33% female) on probation were followed for 2 years, at intervals of 6 months, to explore the association of marijuana use and condom use longitudinally and at a specific intercourse occasion. Latent growth curve modeling indicated that greater marijuana use at baseline was associated with a steeper decline in condom use over the 2-year period of the study. In-depth analysis of the most recent intercourse occasion suggested that condom use was less likely if marijuana was being used by the participant or his/her partner and that this association was more pronounced if intercourse occurred with someone the participant had just met. Implications for the prevention of risky sexual behavior in this population are discussed.

Developmental Patterns of Adolescent Marijuana and Alcohol Use and Their Joint Association with Sexual Risk Behavior and Outcomes in Young Adulthood

“…Recent work suggests that marijuana too is associated with later sexual risk behaviors and outcomes, including inconsistent condom use, multiple sexual partners, and STI diagnoses [6,7,21]. The limited knowledge base shows inconsistent findings, particularly among Blacks, perhaps because marijuana's interrelationship with alcohol is rarely considered.…”

Prescription Drug Misuse and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents and Emerging Adults

“…Similarly, substance use is often initiated during adolescence and peaks during emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2000(Arnett, , 2005Stone et al, 2012; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2011). Alcohol and other drug use have been associated with SRBs in samples of young people at both the global level, perhaps refl ecting problem behavior theory (Donovan, 1996;Jessor, 1982) in which risk behaviors tend to cluster, and the event level (Bonar et al, in press;Brown and Vanable, 2007;Bryan et al, 2007Bryan et al, , 2012Ellickson et al, 2005;Hendershot et al, 2010;Kiene et al, 2009;Nkansah-Amankra et al, 2011), likely refl ecting contextual infl uences and acute intoxication that may affect decision making related to SRBs.…”

Comparing Substance Use And Violence Among Adolescents Recruited From an Urban Emergency Department: Does Parenting Status Matter?

“…For instance, [40] found that increased sensation seeking was positive association with increased substance use among adolescents. Prior research has also indicated a positive relationship between increased sexual activity, inconsistent condom use and marijuana use among pregnant teens [41] and sexually-active youth in general [37]. Further, it is possible that the transition to parenthood results in a decrease in rates of marijuana use, which could explain the difference between adolescent parents and sexually active youth.…”

“…While adolescent substance use has been well-studied [32][33][34], the impact of adolescent substance use on the children of adolescent parents is less well established in the literature and future research is needed to determine the effects of adolescent parent tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use on the adolescent's child. Our cross-sectional findings may reflect increasing and decreasing trajectories in substance use across development based on the age, gender, and race [35], sexual orientation [36], sexual involvement [37], and due to the life stresses, potentially such as of having young children [38,39], found among adolescents. Future longitudinal studies of these young parents in the ED would better characterize these relationships.…”