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Abstract #160266

Richard A. Crosby, PhD¹, Ralph DiClemente, PhD², Delia Lang, PhD MPH², Geri R. Donenberg, PhD³, and Larry K. Brown, MD⁴. (1) College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, 121 Washington Ave, Suite 111, Lexington, KY 40506, 859-257-5678, crosby@uky.edu, (2) Rollins School of Public Health and Center for AIDS Research, Emory Univeristy, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Room 554, Atlanta, GA 30322, (3) Dept. of Psychiatry, Institute for Juvenile Research, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W. Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL 60608, (4) Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Brown University Medical School, Department of Child and Adoelscent Psychiatry, 593 Eddy St, Providence, RI 02902

Objectives: To determine the association of poverty and laboratory-confirmed prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (C. trachomatis, T. vaginalis, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae) among youth diagnosed with mental illness. Methods: Sexually experienced youth (ages 13-18 years) recently diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, and willing to be tested for STIs, were recruited from three U.S. cities (N = 322). Self-reported measures were collected using audio-computer assisted self-interviewing. DNA amplification was used to detect the presence of C. trachomatis, T. vaginalis, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Results: Fifty youth (15.5%) tested positive for one or more of the assessed STIs. City of recruitment (P = .12), and age (P = .38) were not associated with STI prevalence. However, prevalence was greater among non-white youth (P = .03) and females (P = .001). After controlling for these two demographic variables, youth reporting that “lots of poor people” lived in their neighborhoods were significantly more likely (P = .01) to test positive for an STI (22.0%) compared to those not indicating that lots of poor people lived in their neighborhoods (11.7%). Psychosocial constructs such as self-efficacy for HIV prevention (P = .15), parental monitoring (P = .23), and impulsivity (P = .43) were not associated with STI prevalence. Conclusion: Among a youth recently diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, findings demonstrate that STIs are more common among those living in poverty. Where youth live may be more important than psychosocial constructs in predicting their risk of STI acquisition.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Audience members will be able to idenify the effect of "poverty" above and beyond the influences of race and gender relative to STI prevalence among youth with a history of psychiatric disorders.
• 2.Audience members will be able to generate hypotheses that address the mediating mechanisms that may be triggered by poverty

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.