Recorded presentation

Jay G. Silverman, PhD, Department of Society, Human Development & Health/Division of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge 705A, Boston, MA 02115, 617-432-0081, jsilverm@hsph.harvard.edu, Jeanne E. Hathaway, MD, MPH, Division of Pubic Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge 705, Boston, MA 02115, Elizabeth Miller, Stoeckle Center for Primary Care innovation, Massachusetts General Hospital, 50 Staniford St., 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, Michele R. Decker, MPH, Division of Public Health Practice/Department of Society, Human Development & Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge 705, Boston, MA 02115, Anita Raj, PhD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St, T2W, Boston, MA 02118, and Ruth Paris, MSW, PhD, School of Social Work, Boston University, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215.

A lifetime history of dating violence is reported by one in five high school adolescent girls, with one in ten reporting victimization during the past year. In addition to other consequences, such victimization has been associated with sexual risk and pregnancy for female adolescents. What remains unknown are the mechanisms involved in increased sexual risk and pregnancy rates within the context of abusive dating relationships. The purpose of the study is to provide qualitative data to better understand what happens in adolescent relationships that leads adolescent girls to face greater sexual risk and pregnancy involvement within violent relationships. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with 50 adolescent female survivors of dating violence ages 14-18 years recruited from dating violence support and counseling programs. Participants will discuss their sexual experiences, sexual risk-taking, and sex negotiations within and outside the context of abusive relationships they have been involved in. Preliminary results will be discussed and are expected to elucidate the mechanisms by which sexual risk and dating violence are associated, provide guidance for pregnancy prevention programs, clinicians, and health educators on the role of dating violence in safe-sex negotiation, sexual risk and pregnancy involvement, and describe how to include the topic of dating violence within the context of pregnancy and STD prevention efforts.

Learning Objectives:

• • Describe adolescent girls sexual risk behavior in the context of abusive relationships.
  • Describe potential barriers to safe-sex negotiation for adolescent girls in abusive relationships.
  • Describe mechanisms involved in adolescent girls risky sexual activity in the context of abusive relationships.

Keywords: Domestic Violence, Sexual Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation