Risky sexual behavior in relation to marijuana and alcohol use among African–American, male adolescent detainees and their female partners

Abstract

This study examined substance use and risky sexual behavior (RSB) in a specific incident among 210 African–American, male adolescents who were being held in juvenile detention facilities. The participants completed a questionnaire that included four measures of substance use (i.e. alcohol and marijuana use by the participants and their partners), two measures of RSB (i.e. no prior discussion of sexual risks, condom nonuse) and six measures of potential correlates of sexual risk. Within-subjects analyses indicated participants and their partners were more likely to have used marijuana than alcohol during the sexual incident. Bivariate analyses indicated the participants' marijuana use was associated with no prior discussion of sexual risks and condom nonuse, and the partners' marijuana use was associated with no prior discussion of sexual risks. The association between participant marijuana use and condom nonuse, and the association between partner marijuana use and no prior discussion of sexual risks, also emerged in multivariate analyses that included the substance use variables and potential covariates. These findings suggest that marijuana use should be addressed in interventions that aim to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies among adolescent detainees.