Effect of multi-level social risk factors on developmental trajectories of sexual risk behaviors among Bahamian middle-to-late adolescents

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Few studies have examined how multi-level social factors interact and affect developmental patterns of sexual risk among middle-to-late adolescents who are at risk of experiencing sexual risk behaviors. We examined developmental trajectories of sexual risk behaviors of boys and girls in middle-to-late adolescence and the effects of exposure to three social risk factors (poor parental monitoring, peer risk, and neighborhood risk). Methods We followed 2,332 Bahamian adolescents every six months from Grades 10–12. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify distinct trajectories of sexual risk behaviors for boys and girls. Results We identified three trajectories each for boys and girls. Peer risk and neighborhood risk predicted a high sexual-risk trajectory for boys, and peer risk (alone or combined with other risk factors) had the greatest impact on the membership of moderate-to-high-risk trajectory for girls. Parental monitoring had a relatively small effect on adolescents’ sexual risk behavior. Conclusion Our results underscore the importance of early identification of adolescents with sexual risk behavior and development of targeted prevention interventions to improve adolescent health outcomes.