Parental family characteristics and behavioral risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases in males

Abstract

Data from the National Survey of Men were analyzed using structural equation modeling to assess relationships among socioeconomic characteristics, parental-family characteristics, and sexual risk-taking behaviors in adolescence and adulthood. The sample included 2,833 males between ages 19 and 41. Results indicate that, among both African-Americans and European-Americans, age at voluntary sexual initiation is a powerful predictor of the number of sexual partners in adulthood. Late sexual initiation predicts a low number of partners in adulthood. Other variables that predict the number of sexual parmers in adulthood include respondent's age, education, and marital status. Relationships among respondent's age, marital status, and number of partners differ by race, however. It was hypothesized that the likelihood of being married would increase with age and that being married would be predictive of a low number of lifetime sexual partners. Although these hypotheses were supported within the EuropeanAmerican sample, they were not supported within the African-American sample. In fact, among African-American men, a young age was predictive of being married. Further, married African-Americans reported higher numbers of sexual partners over the lifetime than did those who were not married. Being reared in an intact family and having a mother who was not employed outside the home were predictive of delayed sexual initiation. The study also found that among both African-Americans and European-Americans, age of the respondent is a powerful predictor of the age at voluntary sexual initiation, supporting previous research indicating that the average age at sexual initiation is decreasing.