Sexual Behavior In Young Women Research Articles

Determination of risky sexual behaviors and associated factors of Turkish young women

ABSTRACT Risky sexual behaviors of young women cause significant reproductive health problems. Therefore, it is vital to evaluate the sexual attitude and behavior characteristics of young women, their changes over the years, and the effects of information sources such as family, media, and friends, which play an effective role in bringing about changes in sexual behavior of young women. This study was planned to evaluate young women’s premarital sexual behaviors and related factors in Turkiye between 01.11.2021 and 01.05.2022. It is designed as a descriptive correlation study conducted with 1.430 young women studying at universities in 30 metropolitan cities in Turkiye. The study data were collected using the “Participant Information Form” and the “Premarital Risky Sexual Behavior Assessment Scale for Young Women.” This study showed that parents’ educational status and geographical region was related to the young women’s mean score and the subdimension score of the Premarital Sexual Behavior Assessment Scale for Young Women (PSAS-YW) (p < .001). Furthermore, young women’s top source of information about sexuality was internet media (80 percent, n = 1144), and the least source was their fathers (2.9 percent, n = 41). There is a relationship between where young women spend most of their lives, the geographical region where their families live, and the risk of sexual behavior. The study observed that the geographical region where young women’s parents live was effective in risky sexual behavior. While less risky sexual behavior was observed, primarily in the country’s east, this rate increased in the western parts. Furthermore, while it was determined that young people mainly acquire sexual information through the media-internet or friends, it was observed that the participants in this group had the highest rate of risky sexual behavior. The age variable explained only 2 percent of the change in risky sexual behavior, and there was a linear increase between the mother’s education level and the risky sexual behavior score of young women.

Female sexual dysfunctions: prevalence and related factors in a sample of young university women – a cross-sectional study

This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of female sexual dysfunctions (FSD) and associated factors in young women attending a healthcare degree course. Sexual function and sexual discomfort of 187 young college women were assessed by The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R). A total of 23% of participants reported FSD, and the most affected area was pain, followed by orgasm and lubrication, arousal, desire, and satisfaction. This study provides valuable insights into the sexual behavior of young women in Brazil, including the number of lifetime sexual partners, duration of relationships, type of sexual activities and their frequency, sexual orientation, use of antidepressant, and contraceptives methods.

Frequency of cervical cytological alterations and human papilloma virus in a sample of university students in Temuco, Chile

The early onset of sexual activity can promote the development of cervical alterations and sexually transmitted infections, especially the human papillomavirus (HPV) very common in adolescents and young people. The condition of the cervix, HPV and sexual behavior in young women under 25 years of age were analyzed. 182 university students, healthy, sexually active, 18-24 years old, without vaccine for HPV participated. Papanicolaou (Pap) test and classification of high and low risk HPV (HR and LR) were performed by real time polymerase chain reaction. The sexual behaviors were consulted in private. The 46.9% of Pap presented cytological alterations, non-specific inflammation/hemorrhagic (29.4%) and atypical smear (10.2%) being de most frequent. The overall frequency of HPV-HR was 24.3%, of these 67.4% presented an altered Pap. There was an association between cytological alterations and HPV (p < 0.0001) and years of sexual activity and atypical smear or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade I (CIN I) (p = 0.009). 11.9% of young women (21/177) presented atypical smear or CIN I, with 66.7% of cases HPV-HR. These findings alert the vulnerability of these young women who would have a potential risk of viral persistence, CIN and eventually cancer. It is important to emphasize counseling and prevention prior to the regular age of admission to the screening program for cervical cancer. This study was financed by the Universidad de La Frontera through Projects DI15-0047 and DI17-0123.

Intimate Relationships and Sexual Behavior in Young Women withDepression

PurposeTo better understand links between depressive symptoms and high-risk sexual behavior in young women. MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews with young women from three primary care clinics who reported clinically significant depressive symptoms, had penile-vaginal sexual intercourse within the past 6 months, and met at least one sexual risk criterion (N = 16, age 16–23years, racially/ethnically diverse). We transcribed the interview recordings, organized and coded the data, and conducted a directed content analysis. ResultsParticipants described a complex interrelation between depression and intimate relationships and sexual behavior. Depression had negative effects on relationships, sexual motives and experiences (including safety), and feelings about oneself in sexual situations. Participants reported difficulty in developing and maintaining intimate relationships. Although many participants reported less interest in and emotional energy for sex, several were having sex frequently to manage depressive symptoms. Generally, the young women described sex as unsafe (e.g., no condom) owing to impaired judgment, increased impulsivity, apathy, and alcohol. As a result, sometimes their efforts to feel better by having sex led them to feeling worse (e.g., ashamed and worthless). ConclusionsDepressed young women may limit intimate relationships, yet engage in frequent and unsafe sex to cope with their symptoms. Their efforts to feel better may provide only temporary relief or result in feeling worse. Depressed young women would benefit from tailored interventions that identify and counter unhealthy thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, and patterns related to sexual relationships and behavior; minimize factors that impair healthy decision-making; and foster development of alternative affect regulation strategies.

The effect of violent crime on teenage pregnancy in Mexico

This paper explores the effect of violent crime on teenage pregnancy in Mexico using data from a nationally representative longitudinal survey conducted before and after an unexpected surge in violence. In order to identify the effects, we use a triple difference-in-differences strategy exploiting variation in (i) exposure to the surge in violence between sample periods, (ii) the intensity of violence as measured by municipal homicide rates, and (iii) age of different cohorts. We find that the average increase in homicide rates over the study period reduced the probability of teenage pregnancy by approximately 1.5%. We also demonstrate that the effect is more acute among women with worse economic conditions prior to the surge in violence. Analysis of mechanisms shows that reductions in teenage pregnancy is partly explained by changes in the sexual behavior of young women.

Usia pubertas dan citra tubuh terhadap perilaku seksual pranikah pada remaja putri di Yogyakarta

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between age of puberty and body image with premarital sexual behavior in young women in Yogyakarta.Method: Observational research with cross-sectional design using quantitative and qualitative approach was conducted involving 206 students in Vocational High School Yogyakarta with sampling technique purposive sampling.Results: As many as 28.16% of respondents are at risk of sexual pre-marriage. The age of puberty and body image has no significant relationship with premarital sexual behavior in adolescents p&gt;0.05. Media information and peers gives the most influence to age of puberty relationship with premarital sexual behavior. Media information gives the most influence on the relationship of body image with premarital sexual behavior.Conclusion: There is no significant relationship between age of puberty and premarital sexual behavior in adolescents. There is a no significant relationship between body image and premarital sexual behavior in adolescents.

Erasing the Scarlet Letter: How Positive Media Messages About Sex Can Lead to Better Sexual Health Among College Men and Women

ABSTRACTThis study explores how positive media messages about sex can lead to better sexual health among young adults (college students at a large university, N = 228) by de-emphasizing sensation seeking, condom embarrassment, and stigma. Employing social learning theory and normative influence frameworks, the research found that college-age women had higher stigma (β =.22, t = 3.37, p <.001 for felt stigma) and lower sensation seeking (β = –.34, t = −3.17, p <.01). Participants exposed to more media in some forms (e.g., news reading, β = –.131, t = −1.94, p =.05) had less felt self-stigma. Thus, exposure to media, such as TV and media, and positive messages could encourage healthy sexual behavior in young women (around college age).

Sexual behavior and factors associated with young age at first intercourse and HPV vaccine uptake among young women in Germany: implications for HPV vaccination policies.

BackgroundIn Germany, immunization against human papillomaviruses (HPV) is free of charge for all females aged 12 to 17 years. Since HPV infection rates rise soon after first intercourse, immunization against HPV should be completed before sexual debut. Knowledge of country-specific data on age at first intercourse and related risk factors is important to optimize prevention of HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to describe sexual behavior in young women in Germany. Secondary aims were to identify factors that are (i) associated with younger age at first intercourse and (ii) with HPV vaccine uptake.MethodsBetween 2010 and 2012, we conducted a cross-sectional study among randomly selected women aged 20 to 25 years in Germany. We used a structured, self-administered questionnaire to collect sociodemographic data, information on sexual habits such as age at first intercourse, and information on HPV vaccine uptake. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with younger age at first intercourse and with HPV vaccine uptake.ResultsA total of 823 women (response rate: 14.2%) participated, 785 (95.4%) of which reported having had intercourse already. 70% of these women experienced first intercourse before the age of 18 years. However, less than 5% were younger than 14 years at sexual debut. Younger age at first intercourse was independently associated with a higher number of sexual partners, smoking, and past pregnancies. HPV vaccine uptake was associated with higher education, whereas smoking and a migrant background reduced the chance of being vaccinated.ConclusionIn Germany, only a small proportion of women experienced first intercourse before the age of 14 years. Younger age at first intercourse was associated with behavior that might increase the risk of HPV infections or other sexually transmitted infections. Therefore, to optimize the HPV vaccination strategy, HPV vaccination series should be completed before the age of 14 years in Germany.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Premarital Sexual Behavior Assessment Scale for Young Women (PSAS-YW): an exploratory mixed method study.

BackgroundPremarital sexual behaviors are important issue for women’s health. The present study was designed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a scale in order to identify young women who are at greater risk of premarital sexual behavior.MethodThis was an exploratory mixed method investigation. Indeed, the study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, qualitative methods (focus group discussion and individual interview) were applied to generate items and develop the questionnaire. In the second phase, psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the questionnaire were assessed.ResultsIn the first phase an item pool containing 53 statements related to premarital sexual behavior was generated. In the second phase item reduction was applied and the final version of the questionnaire containing 26 items was developed. The psychometric properties of this final version were assessed and the results showed that the instrument has a good structure, and reliability. The results from exploratory factory analysis indicated a 5-factor solution for the instrument that jointly accounted for the 57.4% of variance observed. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the instrument was found to be 0.87.ConclusionThis study provided a valid and reliable scale to identify premarital sexual behavior in young women. Assessment of premarital sexual behavior might help to improve women’s sexual abstinence.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Sexual Behavior in Young Women

Study ObjectiveTo compare sexual attitudes and behaviors of young women who have received or declined the HPV vaccine. DesignCross-sectional survey. SettingObstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics clinics at a large, Midwestern, academic health center. Participants223 young women (ages 13-24): 153 who had received HPV vaccination and 70 with no prior HPV vaccination. Main Outcome MeasuresSexual behaviors; attitudes toward sexual activity. ResultsVaccinated young women were slightly but significantly younger than unvaccinated (mean age 19.2 vs 20.0). Both groups showed a large percentage of participants engaging in high-risk sexual behavior (75% vs 77%). The mean age at sexual debut was not significantly different between the groups (16.8 vs 17.0) nor was the average number of sexual partners (6.6 for both). Unvaccinated participants were more likely to have been pregnant (20% vs 8.6%, P = .016), although this difference was not significant in multivariate analysis CI [0.902-5.177]. Specific questions regarding high-risk sexual behaviors and attitudes revealed no significant differences between the groups. ConclusionWe found that sexual behaviors, including high-risk behaviors, were similar between young women who had and had not received HPV vaccination. Our findings provide no support for suggestions that the vaccine is associated with increased sexual activity. Importantly, we found that young women in our population are sexually active at a young age and are engaged in high-risk behaviors, affirming the importance of early vaccination.

Influence of Television on the Sexual Behavior of Young Women in Mlolongo Township of Machakos County, Kenya

The research set out to analyze the influence of television messages on sexual behavior of young women aged between 15 and 24 in Mlolongo Township in Machakos County, Kenya. The objective was to investigate the relevance of the television messages in addressing the issues that make young women more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS than young men of the same age. The study site was chosen because the town is situated along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa highway, where the weighbridge is situated, making the town a sexual hub for truck drivers who spend days in the town as they wait for their tracks to be weighed; thus making it a rich spot for the spread of HIV/AIDS. The study employed the exploratory research design to collect data from the sample population. Data collection was through the use of the questionnaire method administered on a face-to-face basis to the respondents. The sample size was 60 respondents who were selected using a random sampling method. The findings indicated that awareness on the mode of transmission, prevention and management of the HIV/AIDS was almost 100 percent. Majority of the respondents had had access to TV messages that contained messages on HIV/AIDS. However, the TV viewing a lone was not sufficient enough to help change the women’s sexual behavior. Other underlying factors such as cultural beliefs, gender, poverty, peer pressure, economic dependence on male partners made the women more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and not necessarily lack of knowledge on HIV/AIDS. There was therefore need for change of strategy on the fight against HIV/AIDS and not merely awareness creation and prevention. There was need for stakeholders and to have a concerted effort towards addressing the issues at which young women are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and not necessarily creating awareness, which, according to the study, was almost 100 percent.

Subjective sexual well-being and sexual behavior in young women with breast cancer

The aim of this study was to systematically describe the nature and context of subjective sexual well-being and sexual behavior in young women with breast cancer. Data on sexual behavior and subjective sexual well-being were collected through an internet questionnaire. Respondents were included if they had been diagnosed with breast cancer within the past 6 years and were currently 45 years of age or younger. Results were compared with a representative sample of the general Dutch population. In comparison with the general Dutch population of women, young women still undergoing breast cancer treatment are less sexually active and have a more negative experience of sexuality. While women who had already finished their treatment had more or less the same amount of sexual activity as the general Dutch population, there were still major differences in their experience of sexuality. Particularly strong associations were found between these women's sexual well-being in relation to their relationship satisfaction, and sexual interaction competence. In the wake of breast cancer treatment, young women have difficulty enjoying sex; it is evidently hard for them to resume their sex lives after breast cancer. In particular, women who find it hard to discuss sexual wishes and the possibilities and impossibilities associated with breast cancer with their partner experience negative consequences when trying to resume their sex lives.

Social Exchange and Sexual Behavior in Young Women's Premarital Relationships in Kenya

Transactional sex, or the exchange of money and gifts for sexual activities within nonmarital relationships, has been widely considered a contributing factor to the disproportionate prevalence of HIV/AIDS among young women in sub-Saharan Africa. This study applied social exchange theory to premarital relationships in order to investigate the linkages between a variety of young women's resources-including employment and material transfers from male partners-and sexual behaviors. Data on the first month of premarital relationships (N=551 relationships) were collected from a random sample of young adult women ages 18-24 in Kisumu, Kenya, using a retrospective life history calendar. Consistent with the hypotheses, results showed that young women's income increases the likelihood of safer sexual activities, including delaying sex and using condoms consistently. Material transfers from the male partner displayed the opposite effect, supporting the view that resources obtained from within the relationship decrease young women's negotiating power.

The short‐term impacts of a schooling conditional cash transfer program on the sexual behavior of young women

Recent evidence suggests that conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs for schooling are effective in raising school enrollment and attendance. However, there is also reason to believe that such programs can affect other outcomes, such as the sexual behavior of their young beneficiaries. Zomba Cash Transfer Program is a randomized ongoing CCT intervention targeting young women in Malawi that provides incentives (in the form of school fees and cash transfers) to current schoolgirls and recent dropouts to stay in or return to school. An average offer of US$10/month conditional on satisfactory school attendance - plus direct payment of secondary school fees - led to significant declines in early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and self-reported sexual activity among program beneficiaries after just one year of program implementation. For program beneficiaries who were out of school at baseline, the probability of getting married and becoming pregnant declined by more than 40 and 30%, respectively. In addition, the incidence of the onset of sexual activity was 38% lower among all program beneficiaries than the control group. Overall, these results suggest that CCT programs not only serve as useful tools for improving school attendance but may also reduce sexual activity, teen pregnancy, and early marriage.

Impulsive Sexual Behavior in Young Women: Risky Business!

Consequences of risky sexual activity, including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), cervical dysplasia, and pregnancy, are common among young women,

V. Reinhabiting the Body

In the context of multiple new social and vocational opportunities available for young women in western countries, the body stays a silent and oppressed domain. Unchanged rates of violence against women, sexual harassment, the commodification of women’s bodies, the medicalization and deprecation of the female body, the physical exploitation of women who carry multiple roles at home and at work, the silencing of memories regarding sexual abuse, and pressures for extreme thinness are just a few of the diverse and multiple expressions of bodily oppression that women experience. Moreover, in the climate of backlash against the advancement of women in the social and professional spheres, the body has served as a central target for constraining women’s progress (for example, Faludi, 1991; Wooley, 1993). This experience has become particularly poignant for younger women who may experience a greater disparity between new social opportunities for equity that have not been matched with equity in the body domain (Piran, 1999). This discrepancy may relate to the prevalence of potentially harmful bodily mediated behaviors such as eating disorders, smoking, selfharm or high-risk sexual behavior in young women. Feminism, I believe, has a special role in supporting young women’s voicing of problematic experiences in the body domain, contextualizing it socially and politically, reinforcing peer- and multi-generational connections in exploring these experiences, and using these newly forged connections for the sake of social transformation and change. In turn, young women carry a special contributory role in enriching feminist theory development and guiding social transformation and change. For the past 15 years I have spent a considerable amount of time dialoguing with young women about their body-anchored experiences in my capacity as a researcher and advocate in the area of women’s health, the development of body image and body weight/shape preoccupation. Through this work, I have had the

Introduction to Special Issue: Sexuality and Generational Identities in Sub-Saharan Africa

But when from a long-distant past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, still, alone, more fragile, but with more vitality, more unsubstantial, more persistent, more faithful, the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls, ready to remind us, waiting and hoping for their moment, amid the ruins of the rest; and bear unfaltering, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection. --M. Proust, Swann's Way Memories of the past are often embodied in everyday actions and things. Much as the narrator of Proust's novel poignantly reminisces about the past by way of the lime-flower tea prepared by a great-aunt, so older African women and men also remember the past by comparing it with the present. They note how things associated with the past--a particular article of clothing, a specially prepared meal--and former practices have changed. Alternately, young people may view their present in contrast to an imagined past. The papers in this special issue examine these particular perspectives on the past with respect to one aspect of everyday life, sexuality, focusing on people's comparisons of their own behavior with that of others--fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, grandparents, and grandchildren. The assumption that older people would see the past as preferable to the present is not always borne out, reflecting an appreciation of contemporary contingencies. At the same time, there are differences among younger generations in the ways that they discuss their choice of sex partners and spouses as well as in their decisions about childbearing and contraception, both in comparison with their parents' and grandparents' pasts and with what they envision for the future. These papers draw broadly on various aspects of sexuality, including partner choice, contraception, childbearing, and disease prevention in Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. Throughout Africa, women and men, old and young are considering the relationship between modernity and sexuality, sometimes in contradictory [End Page vii] ways. For example, some older women may view their own western education, acquired in the 1940s and 1950s, as unquestionably beneficial. They may say that it strengthened their domestic positions, through increased literacy skills, expanded employment options, and freedom in selecting a spouse. Yet they may assess young women's present access to education as a mixed blessing. In the past, young women's unchaperoned forays outside the home in order to attend school might have led them to risk the possibility of pregnancy and a dangerous abortion, or perhaps an early marriage. More recently, adolescent sexuality associated with school attendance may be related to an even greater danger from disease, particularly HIV-AIDS. While many older and younger African women and men may agree that the social acceptability of multiple sexual partners (particularly for men) and the economic necessity of multiple sexual partners (particularly for women) may explain the practice of what is perceived as risky behavior, few people are sure about how to change this situation. For older women, neither an unmitigated return to the "traditional," nor a wholehearted embrace of a "modern" way of life offers unambiguous answers for those who yearn to protect the younger generation from harm. The papers presented here use several methods to analyze these views of sexuality, including life histories, interviews, focus group discussions, materials from the popular press and media, and archival documents. They explore the ways that sexuality has been reinterpreted over time, as well as the implications of shifts in the moral authority of elders (reflecting changes in the political economy), relating these changes to the sexual behavior of young women and men. Finally, they consider how new constructions of sexuality are associated with changing gender relations. While sexuality is discussed in all of the papers, it is important to note that the term sexuality is part of a larger configuration of various aspects of...

Self-administered questionnaires versus face-to-face interviews in assessing sexual behavior in young women.

Effects of mode of assessment, person, and situational variables on the accuracy of self-reports of sexual behavior remain uncertain. To evaluate these influences, 190 young women completed measures of erotophilia and social desirability and then monitored their health-related behaviors with a diary for 8 weeks. They returned on two occasions to complete either a face-to-face interview (FTFI) or a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) regarding their behavior over the same interval. To check the apparent accuracy of participants' retrospective self-reports, a difference score was calculated by subtracting responses obtained on the FTFI or SAQ from the diary card. Results indicated that both modes of assessment were reliable; reliability did not differ as a function of mode of assessment. However, SAQs elicited less discrepant responses for protected vaginal sex; SAQ and FTFI reports for unprotected sexual behaviors were equivalent. Situational and person variables did not predict accuracy scores, which were impaired at higher frequencies of behavior. Results suggest that both modes of assessment were reliable and SAQs may be more accurate for some sexual behaviors.

The relationship of plasma estradiol to sexual behavior in young women.

Persky, Harold PhD*; Charney, Natalie; Lief, Harold I. MD; O'Brien, Charles P. MD, PhD; Miller, William R. PhD; Strauss, Dorothy PhD† Author Information