Minority Adolescent Females Research Articles

More Than Just Vaginal Intercourse: Anal Intercourse and Condom Use Patterns in the Context of “Main” and “Casual” Sexual Relationships among Urban Minority Adolescent Females

Purpose Receptive anal intercourse has long been recognized as a risk factor for the transmission of HIV and STIs. Most HIV/STI prevention messages continue to emphasize penile-vaginal transmission, so many teens do not recognize anal intercourse as risky sexual behavior. This purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of anal intercourse, and to describe the relationship between types of sexual relationships (main vs. casual), types of sexual behaviors (vaginal vs. anal sex), and types of contraception used among inner-city sexually experienced adolescents. Methods Reproductive health histories were obtained from 350 sexually experienced adolescent females aged 12–18 years participating in a 5-year STI acquisition study at an urban health center. Baseline sexual behavior data was analyzed and described using frequencies, percentages and chi-square tests. Results 41% of teens and 86.5% of teens reported engaging in sexual activity with casual and main partners respectively. Sixteen percent of teens with main partners and 12% of those with casual partners engaged in receptive anal intercourse ( P = 0.31). Condom use is more prevalent for both vaginal (61% vs. 32.4%, P ≤ 0.0001) and anal (47.1% vs. 21.3%, P = 0.0428) intercourse in the context of casual as compared to main sexual relationships. Teens involved in a casual relationship were more likely to use anal intercourse as a form of contraception (41.2% vs. 8.5%, P = 0.0022). Conclusion It is imperative that health care providers recognize that adolescents engage in anal sex, specifically inquire about their types of sexual behavior and types of sexual relationships so that anticipatory guidance regarding HIV/STI transmission risk reduction education can be tailored to meet their needs.

84: More than just vaginal intercourse: Sexual behavior and types of sexual relationships among sexually experienced urban minority adolescent females

Over 3 million American adolescents become infected with one or more sexually transmitted infection (STI) each year, and more than half of all HIV infections were acquired between the ages of 15 and 24 years. Receptive anal intercourse has long been recognized as a risk factor for the transmission of HIV and STIs. However, most HIV/STI prevention messages continue to emphasize penile-vaginal transmission, thus many teens do not recognize anal intercourse as risky sexual behavior. In addition, one’s type of sexual relationship has also been associated with increased sexual risk behavior.

Dieting and its Relationship to Smoking, Acculturation, and Family Environment in Asian and Hispanic Adolescents

The objective of this article was to examine dieting and its relationship to smoking behaviors and attitudes, acculturation, and family environment in an ethnically diverse sample of adolescents. Participants were 211 adolescent girls and boys: 57% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 27% White. Regular dieting was determined using the Restraint Scale (Herman, 1978). Dependent variables were measured using the Smoking Beliefs and Attitude Questionnaire (Pederson & Lefcoe, 1985), Family Functioning in Adolescence Questionnaire (Roelofse & Middleton, 1985), and Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (Suinn, Rickard-Figurroa, Lew, & Vigil, 1987). Dieting girls, as compared to nondieters, had more favorable attitudes toward smoking, more strongly believed that smoking keeps one from eating, and first experimented with cigarettes at an older age. Chronic dieting was related to reports of poorer family functioning, and Asian dieters were more acculturated than nondieters. For boys, there was no relationship between dieting and smoking, acculturation, or family environment. Smoking prevention programs targeted toward ethnic minority adolescent females need to address the issue of weight concern.

Low Parental Monitoring Predicts Subsequent Pregnancy Among African-American Adolescent Females

Study Objective: Accumulating evidence suggests that parental monitoring is associated with adolescents' sexual risk behaviors. However, evidence associating low parental monitoring with greater odds of becoming pregnant has not been reported. The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the relationship of low perceived parental monitoring with incidence of biologically confirmed pregnancy among a sample of low-income African-American adolescent females.Design: A prospective study.Setting and Participants: African-American females 14–18 years of age were recruited from schools and health clinics in low-income neighborhoods. Adolescents completed an in-depth survey and interview at baseline and 6 months later. The study achieved an 85.7% baseline participation rate (n = 522) and 92% (n = 482) returned at follow-up. Only adolescents who initially tested negative for pregnancy were included in the analysis (n = 410).Main Outcome Measure: Incidence of biologically assessed pregnancy.Results: In controlled analyses, among adolescents testing negative for pregnancy at baseline, those who reported less parental monitoring were 2.5 times more likely to become pregnant in the 6-month follow-up period (AOR = 2.50, 95% CI = 1.1–5.9, P < .04).Conclusion: Low parental monitoring was prospectively associated with incidence of biologically confirmed pregnancy among minority adolescent females. This finding adds to a growing body of empirical literature that supports the value of parental monitoring as a protective factor in adolescents' lives. Interventions designed to increase parental monitoring or adolescent females' perceptions of their parents' monitoring may be effective components of pregnancy prevention programs designed for minority youth.

Condom Carrying is Not Associated with Condom Use and Lower Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Minority Adolescent Females

Sex Transm Dis 2001;28(8):444–7 To determine whether observed condom carrying by adolescent females was associated with self-reported condom use, self-reported history of sexually transmitted diseases, and prevalence of biologically confirmed sexually transmitted diseases, researchers from Emory University in Atlanta studied 522 sexually active African-American adolescent females recruited from low-income neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama. Measures of self-reported condom use, STD history, and condom carrying were collected. Adolescents were also tested for three prevalent sexually transmitted diseases. At the time of assessment, 8% of the adolescents were observed to have a condom with them. Condom carrying was not found to be significantly associated with condom use and prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases. Condom carrying by females may not be an important factor for sexually transmitted disease/HIV prevention. Comment:“The best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft a-gley.” Robert Burns, To A Mouse, 1785. Or, “You can lead a horse to water, but …” (TMJ)

Condom Carrying is Not Associated with Condom Use and Lower Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Minority Adolescent Females

DiClemente, R J; Wingood, G M; Crosby, R; Sionean, C; Cobb, B K; Harrington, K; Davies, S L; Hook, E W 3rd; Oh, MK

Condom carrying is not associated with condom use and lower prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases among minority adolescent females.

Most of the studies associated with condom carrying and use have been conducted with adults. Because minority teenage females are particularly at risk for STD/HIV infection, further investigations specifically focusing on this population are warranted. To determine whether observed condom carrying among adolescent females was associated with multiple measures of self-reported condom use, self-reported history of sexually transmitted diseases, and prevalence of biologically confirmed sexually transmitted diseases. For this study, 522 sexually active African American adolescent females were recruited from low-income neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama. Measures of self-reported condom use, STD history, and condom carrying were collected. Adolescents were also tested for three prevalent sexually transmitted diseases. At the time of the assessment, 8% of the adolescents were observed to have a condom with them. Condom carrying was not found to be significantly associated with condom use and prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases. Condom carrying may not be an important outcome of sexually transmitted disease/HIV prevention programs designed to reduce HIV/sexually transmitted disease risk among adolescent females.

Attitudes of Inner-City Female Adolescents Toward Medical and Surgical Abortion

Study ObjectiveTo explore the attitudes of innercity minority female adolescents toward medical and surgical abortion to determine if medical abortion methods, which have been shown to be both effective and safe, might have greater appeal than surgical abortion. DesignA cross-sectional, self-administered survey. SettingThe waiting room of an inner-city hospital-based adolescent clinic. ParticipantsAt total of 157 female adolescents aged 13 to 21 years; Hispanic (56%) and African American (31%). Most (94%) were sexually active, 43% had been pregnant, and 29% had previously had a surgical abortion. Outcome MeasuresAn 86-itenl questionnaire exanlining attitudes toward medical and surgical abortion safety and impact on future fertility, and pregnancy, abortion, and sexual history. ResultsA total of 68% believe that abortion is safe, and 55% believe that having an abortion is better than having an unwanted child. Belief in the safety of abortion was significantly associated with older age and with never having had an abortion. Almost three fourths (72%) believe that having an abortion might impair future fertility either from surgical damage (73%) or “as a punishment for having an abortion” (38%). The majority (72%) believe that “the more abortions you have, the harder it will be to get pregnant in the future”. Regardless of personal abortion experience, 51% believe that a medical abortion would be safer than a surgical abortion. A minority (34%) believe that it would be easier to get pregnant after a medical abortion than after a surgical one. ConclusionsAlthough most inner-city, minority adolescents believe that abortion is safe, they also believe they risk their future fertility by having an abortion. The availability of medical abortion regimens would greatly influence decisions regarding abortion.

Psychiatric Diagnoses in Minority Female Adolescent Suicide Attempters

Psychiatric diagnoses were examined using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children semistructured interview among three groups of minority adolescent females aged 12 to 17:61 suicide attempters, 31 psychiatrically disturbed nonattempters, and 23 nonattempting, nondisturbed girls. Major or minor depressive disorder was found in 42% of the suicide attempters; conduct disorder in 46%; multiple diagnoses in 38%, no diagnosis in 13%. These rates were very similar to those found in disturbed nonattempters. Only one symptom, suicidal ideation, distinguished attempters from disturbed nonattempters, while many symptoms distinguished these two groups from nondisturbed nonattempters.