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Abstract #153667

Hyeouk Chris Hahm, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, 617-353-3925, hahm@bu.edu, Lisa de Saxe Zerden, MSW, Doctoral Candidate, Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, and Al Ozonoff, PhD, Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, T4E, Boston, MA 02118.

Objectives: To determine longitudinal predictors of HIV/STIs from adolescence to young adulthood, across ethnic groups. Methods: Data were derived from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health Wave I (1995, ages 12-18) and Wave III (2001, ages 18-25) from among White (N=6,111), Latino (N=1,315), African American (N=1,284), and Asian (N=832) adolescents transitioning to young adulthood. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios to assess whether changes of depression and history of substance use were associated with self-reported STI diagnosis. Results: Among whites, increased depression between adolescence and young adults was associated with higher odds of STI (OR: 1.06. CI: 1.03-1.09). (OR: 1.06. CI: 1.03-1.09). For this group, history of cigarette smoking (OR: 1.8 CI: 1.21-2.70), and alcohol use (OR: 1.4, CI: 1.01-1.94) were also significant predictors. There was no evidence that increased depression was a significant predictor for increased STI among other ethnic groups. Among African Americans, history of alcohol use (OR: 1.7, CI: 1.11-2.56) and marijuana use (OR: 2.9, CI: 1,50-5.51) were significantly associated with STIs. Being female was significantly and consistently associated with HIV/STIs among all ethnic groups. Conclusions: Understanding the ethnic variation of the impact of increased depression and the history of substance use as predictors of HIV/STIs among adolescents is vital as adolescents continue to constitute a disproportionate burden of such infections. Regardless of ethnicity, women were significantly more likely than men to be diagnosed with STIs. Policy prevention to reduce STIs among adolescents needs to account for ethnic and gender differences.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Recognize the need for intervening substance use (cigarette smoking, alcohol use, & marijuana use) and treatment of depressive disorders as mechanisms to reduce the occurrence of HIV/STIs particularly among adolescents.
• 2. Articulate the significant predictors of HIV/STIs that differ for adolescents across ethnic groups.
• 3. Discuss, similar to the worldwide trend of greater women than men HIV/STIs vulnerability, adolescent women, regardless of ethnicity, were significantly more likely than men to be diagnosed with HIV/STIs.

Keywords: Adolescents, Substance Abuse

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.