African Young Adults Research Articles

HIV Risk Behaviors and the Context of Sexual Coercion in Young Adults’ Sexual Interactions: Results From a Diary Study in Rural South Africa

Gender inequalities in relationship power may promote unprotected sexual intercourse. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the specific gender dynamics in the intimate relationships of rural South African young adults that contribute to risk for HIV infection. Using diary methods, 25 female and 25 male secondary school students in rural South Africa provided daily reports (N = 1000) over a 3-week timeframe, including details regarding 466 sexual interactions. Inconsistent condom use was more likely in relationships in which the male partner had ever used threat or force to engage in sex during this period (unadjusted odds ratio, 13.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.57-114.26). Male sexual coercion was more likely in relationships in which alcohol was ever used in conjunction with sex and when a man's desire to engage in sex was perceived as greater than the woman's. This study adds to the growing evidence that sexual relationships characterized by gender inequality and sexual coercion are contexts of sexual risk.

C1q nephropathy: A variant of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

C1q nephropathy is a poorly understood and controversial entity with distinctive immunopathologic features. In order to better define the clinical-pathologic spectrum, we report the largest single-center series. Nineteen biopsies with C1q nephropathy were identified from among 8909 native kidney biopsies received from 1994 to 2002 (0.21%). Defining criteria included (1). dominant or co-dominant immunofluorescence staining for C1q, (2). mesangial electron dense deposits, and (3). no clinical or serologic evidence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The 19 patients were predominantly African American (73.7%), female (73.7%), young adults and children (range, 3 to 42 years; mean, 24.2 years). Presentation included nephrotic range proteinuria (78.9%), nephrotic syndrome (50%), renal insufficiency (27.8%), and hematuria (22.2%). No patient had hypocomplementemia or evidence of underlying autoimmune or infectious disease. Renal biopsy revealed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in 17 (including six collapsing and two cellular) and minimal-change disease (MCD) in two. All biopsies displayed co-deposits of immunoglobulin G (IgG), with more variable IgM (84.2%), IgA (31.6%), and C3 (52.6%). Foot process effacement varied from 20% to 100% (mean, 51%). Twelve of 16 patients with available follow-up received immunosuppressive therapy. One patient had complete remission of proteinuria and six had partial remission. Four patients with FSGS pattern had progressive renal insufficiency, including two who reached end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Median time from biopsy to ESRD was 81 months. On multivariate analysis, the best correlate of renal insufficiency at biopsy and at follow-up was the degree of tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis (P = 0.0495 and 0.0341, respectively). C1q nephropathy falls within the clinical-pathologic spectrum of MCD/FSGS. Although further studies are needed to determine the pathomechanism of C1q deposition, we hypothesize that it may be a non-specific marker of increased mesangial trafficking in the setting of glomerular proteinuria.

Racial Attitudes among South African Young Adults: A Four-year Follow-up Study

The many social changes that have occurred in South Africa since the first democratic elections in 1994 warrant that careful scrutiny be given to the racial attitudes of South Africa's young adults. Their degree of acceptance of the doctrine of deracialisation and reconciliation represents a hope or a warning about the possibility of a stable future. A follow-up study was thus carried out in order to update data collected in 1995, with the hypothesis that, over time, greater acceptance of other racial groups would be reported. In this follow-up study, the authors examined differences among a new sample of 122 Xhosa-speaking Black, 73 so-called coloured, and 234 English-speaking White young adults. Data were collected using a questionnaire that assessed aspects of these groups' perceptions of themselves (identities) and their attitudes toward other racial groups (their prejudice). Statistical significance was found between groups and over time across measures.

Family Capital and South African Young Adults’ Self-Concept

INTRODUCTION In development of bioecological model of human development, Bronfenbrenner (1994:1645) and Bronfenbrenner and Ceci (1994) proposed that family learning environments can be conceived of as set of nested structures each inside other like set of Russian dolls. The proximal or immediate settings (Microsystems) in which parent-child interactions occur and linkages between those settings (mesosystems), are considered to be embedded in more remote or distal environmental contexts (macrosystems). It is proposed that to explain variations in developmental it is necessary to understand relationships among distal contexts such as family social status, proximal settings such as parent-child interactions, and measures of those outcomes. Bronfenbrenner and Ceci (1994: 572) claimed: The form, power, content, and directions of proximal processes affecting development vary systematically as joint function of characteristics of developing person, of environment - both immediate and more remote - in which processes are taking place, and nature of developmental outcome under consideration. In addition, Ceci et al. (1997: 311) stated that the efficacy of proximal process is determined to large degree by distal environmental resources.... Proximal processes are engines that actually drive outcome but only if distal resources can be imported into process to make it effective. In this study Bronfenbrenner and Ceci framework was adopted to construct and test family model to examine relationships between family environments and students' selfconcept. We chose self-concept as outcome measure as there is growing realization that positive self-concept is related to students' aspirations, completion of high school, engagement with schooling, and college attendance. The possible relationship between learning environments and development of self-concept is reflected in definition by Marsh et al. (1995: 71) that self-concept is a person's self-perceptions, formed through experience with interpretations of one's environment. The self-perceptions are especially influenced by evaluations of significant others, reinforcements, and attributions of one's behavior and accomplishments. A Family Model In constructing family model we used orientations proposed by Coleman (1990, 1997), Darling and Steinberg (1993), and by Downey et al. (1999). Coleman suggested that family influences are separable into components such as human and social capital. capital provides parents with opportunity of creating supportive proximal learning settings and it can be measured by indicators of family socioeconomic status. As Caspi et al. (1998; 427) suggested, Human capital refers to resources, qualifications, skills, and knowledge that are available to and acquired by individuals. In contrast, family social capital is defined in terms of resources that individuals may access through social ties. It is amount and quality of academicallyoriented interaction between parents and children which provides children with access to parents' human capital. Coleman (1997) suggests that if human capital possessed by parents is not complemented by strong and positive relations in families then it is irrelevant to children's educational whether parents have great deal, or small amount, of human capital. In further conceptual orientation relating to family capital, Darling and Steinberg (1993) proposed that to understand relations among distal or remote family contexts, family social capital, and students' it is desirable to examine three aspects of parenting: style, parents' expectations for their children, and practices parents use to assist children satisfy their expectations. They suggested that parenting style can best be thought of as contextual variable that moderates relationship between specific practices and specific developmental outcomes (1993: 493). …

AIDS high‐risk and precautionary behaviour in young african adults: A Zimbabwean perspective

Increases in condom use among hetero‐sexual active individuals are crucial to containing the spread of AIDS. A random sample of respondents (N =2,201) completed measures of sexual behaviour, HIV‐related risk reduction, attitudes toward condom use and their experiences with deception when dating covering the previous two months and psychological measures theoreticaily pertinent to AIDS risk. Thirty‐five percent of the sample reported engaping in unprotected anal intercourse, the abysmal high risk behaviour most strongly associated with transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In addition, these data confirm the findings of previous research that majority of women had been lied to by a dating partner. However, it was also noted that sexually experienced men often told a lie in order to have sex and were more dishonest in dating. While women demonstrated greater anxiety/worry and concerns about all STDS, including HIV, because they know they are more vulnerable. These data support the vi...

Social Experience and Moral Judgment in East African Young Adults

Summary Relationships between stage of moral judgment and antecedent social experiences are presented for a non-Western sample of young adults. Cross sectional data are presented for two groups of Kenyan students: 52 University of Nairobi students; and 40 fourth form secondary school Ss. Critical variables are (a) family modernization, (b) attending ethnically pluralistic secondary schools, and (c) living independently away from home. The correlations between moral judgment stage and these three variables are controlled for, and compared to, correlations between stage of moral judgment and age, sex, race, and academic ability (as measured by standardized achievement tests or by grades). The evidence demonstrates associations between moral stage and all three critical variables, though in different ways for the two age levels of Ss.