Abstract
BackgroundJustice-involved youth have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and a higher prevalence of the associated sexual risk behaviors. Sexual risk behaviors are also associated with alcohol and drug use. Research suggests that a history of trauma is an important predictor of alcohol and drug use in youth offenders, and therefore is a likely contributor to sexual risk behavior in this population. The objective of this analysis is to determine the association of trauma, specifically, domestic violence and forced sex, to six sexual risk behaviors and a history of chlamydia among detained youth.MethodsThe analysis uses data from a convenience sample of detainees assenting to HIV testing conducted December 2016 – August 2017 using the state-certified Voluntary Counseling Testing and Referral (VCTR) process.ResultsOf the 379 youth that received VCTR at the facility, 308 (81.3%) were used in this analysis. Report of domestic violence was significantly associated with sex under the influence of alcohol and was also significantly associated with sex under the influence of marijuana. Forced sex was associated with a sexual partner of unknown HIV status.ConclusionsTraumatic experiences were related to sexual risk behaviors in this analysis, and substance use was strongly implicated in the association. Trauma is known to be a catalyst to sexual risk behaviors, substance use, and delinquency in adolescence. Results support the findings of other investigators and re-iterate the need for trauma-informed interventions that can improve the life trajectories of detained youth.
Highlights
Justice-involved youth have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and a higher prevalence of the associated sexual risk behaviors
Characteristics of the study cohort In total, 496 Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF) residents were approached for Voluntary Counseling Testing and Referral (VCTR) (Fig. 1)
Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) tested a total of 308/379 (81.3%) youth while the remaining 71 youth were tested by another organization whose data was not available for this analysis
Summary
Justice-involved youth have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and a higher prevalence of the associated sexual risk behaviors. Research suggests that a history of trauma is an important predictor of alcohol and drug use in youth offenders, and is a likely contributor to sexual risk behavior in this population. The objective of this analysis is to determine the association of trauma, domestic violence and forced sex, to six sexual risk behaviors and a history of chlamydia among detained youth. Chronic use of alcohol and binge drinking have an elevated risk of acquiring HIV (Dembo, DiClemente, Brown, & Faber, 2016; ScottSheldon, Carey, Cunningham, Johnson, & Carey, 2016)
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