98. African American Adolescent Girls' Opinions About the Sexual Behavior of Their Peers

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore early adolescent African American girls’ attitudes about sex, perceptions of sexually active peers, and perceptions of why their peers engage in sex. Methods: A convenience sample of 65 African American girls ages 12 to 14 was recruited through community-based organizations in Alabama. Data were collected using individual interviews and focus groups. Individual interviews focused on sexually active peers and what they say about sex. Focus groups were held to validate findings from interviews. Verbatim transcripts of audiotapes, observation notes, and demographic datawere primary data for analysis. Content analysis was used in analysis and interpretation of qualitative data to formulate meaningful categories, themes, and patterns. The qualitative research software, QSR N-Vivo , was used to code and sort data into categories. The SPSS statistical software was used to conduct descriptive analyses to describe the study sample. Results: Mean age of study sample was 13 years. Out of 65 participants, 5 reported having engaged in sexual activity. Mean age of sexual debut was 13 years. Common themes that emerged included: she shouldn’t do that, boys talk about girls after sex, andwhy they did “it.” Themajority of participants believed that girls their agewere too young to be engaging in sexual activity. They perceived sexually active girls their age to be looking for attention or desiring popularity. The participants also viewed the boys as trying to gain popularity among their friends. Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that STI and pregnancy prevention programs should build upon early adolescent girls’ attitudes about having sex at 12 to 14 years of age. Furthermore, findings suggest that interventions should incorporate strategies to empower and promote self-awareness among early adolescent girls to deter them from seeking attention and popularity through sex. Lastly, findings from this study provide information to help to understand the contextual factors that influence early adolescent African American girls’ attitudes about engaging in sexual activity, which is essential in developing interventions that are predictably effective in reducing sexual risk behaviors among African American adolescent girls. Sources of Support: This project is supported by Award Number K01NR011277 from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NINR or the National Institute of Health.