Abstract
Black youth and their families living in urban settings may experience unique stressors that contribute to underlying issues due to the environmental context. Such factors may exacerbate and promote drug use and engagement in risky sexual behaviors, unknowingly. Little is known about how family factors, peer pressure, condom use, and other related factors are associated with substance use and engaging in sexual behaviors while on drugs among urban African American youth aged 12–22 (N = 638). We used regression models to examine associations between parental bonding, parent–adolescent sexual health communication, condom use, peer pressure on substance use, and having sex while on drugs. Multivariate results indicated that parental bonding was statistically significant and associated with drug use (OR: 1.36, 95%CI: 1.36). Our study highlights that parental bonding plays a critical role in youth using drugs while living in urban environments.
Highlights
Accepted: 10 May 2021There is a dearth of literature that has indicated that substance and alcohol abuse is a public health concern among the youth in the United States [1,2]
This study drew on the ecodevelopment theory, which was a fitting theoretical lens that was employed to interrogate the effect of parent–child communication on sexual health as a protective factor against urban Black youth’s likelihood of engaging in illicit drug use and co-occurring sexual risk behaviors
This study examined the relationship between parent–child sexual health communication, parent–child relationships, peer pressure, and other contextual factors regarding drug use and sexual risk-taking among Black youth and young adults, which reflects the micro- and mesosystem levels of ecodevelopmental theory
Summary
There is a dearth of literature that has indicated that substance and alcohol abuse is a public health concern among the youth in the United States [1,2]. Very few studies have focused on the role of the Black family and their impact on the sexual risk behaviors and alcohol and substance use among Black youth. Those in urban centers are especially at risk of negative sexual outcomes for multiple reasons, including greater exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) [14,15]. Black youth residing in urban areas typically reflect lower rates of substance use and co-occurring sexual activity compared to their White peers; they experience poorer health outcomes, including elevated rates of contracting HIV and STIs [16,17,18,19,20,21]. Black parents influence their teenage children through communication on sex and bonding and how these factors influence whether their child will have sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol [36]
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