RESUMO

CONTEXT: Adolescent sexual behavior is typically studied as a dichotomy: Adolescents have had sex or they have not. Broadening this view would lead to a greater understanding of teenagers' sexual behavior. METHODS: Interview data from 907 high school students in Alabama, New York and Puerto Rico were used to examine the relationships between sexual experience and a variety of social, psychological and behavioral variables. Four groups of teenagers are compared: those who did not anticipate initiating sex in the next year (delayers), those who anticipated initiating sex in the next year (anticipators), those who had had one sexual partner (singles) and those who had had two or more partners (multiples). RESULTS: Compared with delayers, anticipators reported more alcohol use and marijuana use; poorer psychological health; riskier peer behaviors; and looser ties to family school and church. Similarly, multiples reported more alcohol and marijuana use, riskier peer behaviors and looser ties to family and school than singles. Risk behaviors, peer behaviors, family variables, and school and church involvement showed a linear trend across the four categories of sexual behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The traditional sex-no sex dichotomy obscures differences among sexually inexperienced teenagers and among adolescents who have had sex. Prevention efforts must be tailored to the specific needs of teenagers with differing sexual experiences and expectations, and must address the social and psychological context in which sexual experiences occur.

Assuntos

Comportamento do Adolescente/psicologia , Psicologia do Adolescente , Comportamento Sexual/psicologia , Adolescente , Alabama , Estudos Transversais , Família/psicologia , Feminino , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Humanos , Masculino , New York , Grupo Associado , Psicologia do Adolescente/estatística & dados numéricos , Porto Rico , Assunção de Riscos , Comportamento Sexual/estatística & dados numéricos , Parceiros Sexuais/psicologia , Estudantes/psicologia , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias/psicologia , Inquéritos e Questionários

RESUMO

Data from a 1993-1994 survey of 150 black and Hispanic teenagers were used to examine differences in HIV risk-related behavior between young women who have a first sexual partner three or more years older than themselves and those whose first partner is their age. Compared with teenagers whose first partner had been roughly their age, the 35% of adolescents with an older partner had been younger at first intercourse (13.8 years vs. 14.6) and less likely to use a condom at first intercourse (63% vs. 82%). They also were less likely to report having used a condom at last intercourse (29% vs. 44%) or having used condoms consistently over their lifetime (37% vs. 56%) or in the previous six months (44% vs. 66%). Some 38% of teenagers with an older first partner had ever been pregnant, compared with 12% of those with a peer-age first partner. The mean number of partners and history of sexually transmitted diseases did not differ between the two groups.

Assuntos

Negro ou Afro-Americano , Infecções por HIV/prevenção & controle , Hispânico ou Latino , Assunção de Riscos , Parceiros Sexuais , Adolescente , Fatores Etários , Alabama/epidemiologia , Preservativos , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Cidade de Nova Iorque , Gravidez , Gravidez na Adolescência , Porto Rico , Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis

RESUMO

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to define a typology that encompasses the full range of adolescent heterosexual behavior; to compare the usefulness of the new typology with that of the traditional dichotomy of "sexually active"/"sexually inactive" for understanding sexual behavior among adolescents; and to determine the implications of the new typology for the design and implementation of HIV prevention programs targeting adolescents. METHODS: Detailed face-to-face interviews were conducted with a cross-sectional sample of 907 mothers and their adolescents, ages 14-17 years, recruited from public high schools in Alabama, New York, and Puerto Rico. Information from the adolescent survey on precoital sexual behaviors and STD/HIV sexual risk and risk reduction behaviors was examined. A typology of adolescent heterosexual experiences was constructed using four behavioral dimensions. RESULTS: Ninety-nine percent (n = 894) of the sample was classified into one of the five patterns of sexual experience: Delayers, Anticipators, One-timers, Steadies, and Multiples. Among the participants who were not sexually active, precoital behaviors differed significantly between the 22% who anticipated initiating sexual intercourse in the next year (Anticipators) and those who did not (Delayers). Among those traditionally classified as "sexually active", One-timers and Steadies were significantly older when they first had penile-vaginal intercourse than those who had multiple partners. One-timers were more likely to use condoms than Steadies or Multiples, and only Multiples reported previous STDs. CONCLUSION: A typology that defines a range of adolescent heterosexual experiences was developed, and it was possible to classify 99% of our sample. The traditional dichotomy between "sexually active" vs. "not active" hides important behavioral intentions and sexual practices. These differences must be taken into account in the development and implementation of HIV prevention programs that target adolescents.

Assuntos

Comportamento do Adolescente , Infecções por HIV/prevenção & controle , Comportamento Sexual , Adolescente , Comportamento do Adolescente/classificação , Negro ou Afro-Americano , Distribuição de Qui-Quadrado , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Hispânico ou Latino , Humanos , Masculino , Mães , Porto Rico , Fatores de Risco , Comportamento Sexual/classificação , Inquéritos e Questionários , Estados Unidos

RESUMO

No abstract available for this article.