Abstract
This study investigates how peer influence, school attachment, and substance abuse are related to sexual behavior, with particular interest in exploring the relationship between substance abuse and sexual misconduct, while using a stratified random sample of adolescents in Macau. Mediation analyses were employed. The results show that substance abuse, apart from susceptibility to peer influence and school attachment/commitment, was significantly related to sexual misconduct. Substance abuse was the best predictor of sexual misconduct, and it significantly mediated the relationship between susceptibility to peer influence, as well as school attachment and sexual misconduct. This reflects that the use of substances, including drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, can be viewed as a catalyst for triggering engagement in sexual misconduct. The implications of this study involve taking measures to reduce the rate of substance abuse as a way of decreasing sexual misconduct in adolescents. Future research directions in exploring the relationship between adolescent substance abuse and risky sexual behavior are discussed.
Highlights
Macau is a small city in southern China with a population of 0.6 million, Chinese and overseas capital has been investing in the gaming industry since the mid-2000s, turning this former Portuguese colony into an entertainment city [1]
Ample research evidence in the West has suggested that negative peer influence and poor school attachment affects the sexual behavior of young people [5,6,7,8], while substance abuse can have an impact on adolescent sexual behavior [9]
As stated by the Government Information Bureau [82], youths in Macau are susceptible to peer influence in drug taking
Summary
Macau is a small city in southern China with a population of 0.6 million, Chinese and overseas capital has been investing in the gaming industry since the mid-2000s, turning this former Portuguese colony into an entertainment city [1]. Ample research evidence in the West has suggested that negative peer influence and poor school attachment affects the sexual behavior of young people [5,6,7,8], while substance abuse can have an impact on adolescent sexual behavior [9]. A study on the relations between school attachment and commitment, negative peer influence, substance abuse, and sexual misconducts among Macau youth would be most valuable. Negative human activities, such as substance abuse and risky sexual behavior, which are common in the West, are prevalent among adolescents in Macau [3].
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