Abstract
All youth are at risk for adolescent pregnancy, yet some are more at risk than others. Although risk and protective factors paradigms are certainly not new to the field, this research takes a multilevel ecological approach and seeks to specify the relative merit of individual-level factors compared to social environment factors for explaining sexual behavior. This research explores nuanced similarities and differences between youth who abstain from sex, those who are sexually active and report using contraception, and those who are sexually active and report no contraceptive use. Multivariate and logistic regression approaches highlight aspects of youths' individual characteristics and social environments that may have important influence on their sexual behavior. The regression models showed reliably predicted differences in each of the 3 risk groups. Factors that should be addressed by families, communities, and future public health programming efforts are also highlighted.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
