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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Robert Malow, PhD¹, Michèle Jean-Gilles, PhD¹, Rachna Mehrotra, BDS¹, Guillermo Prado, PhD², Deanne Samuels, PhD¹, Yamile Marrero, JD, MPH¹, Brenda Lerner, RN, PsyD¹, and Jessy G. Dévieux, PhD¹. (1) AIDS Prevention Program, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151 Street, Miami, FL 33181, 305 919 4200, rmalow@bellsouth.net, (2) Stempel School of Public Health, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199

PURPOSE: To report on the influence of family support on sexual activity among Haitian American adolescents. METHODS: Data was collected from a community sample of 241 sexually active (n = 68) and non-sexually active (n = 148) 13-18 year old (mean age 15.48 years) Haitian American adolescents in Miami who participated in a replication of “Becoming a Responsible Teen,” an HIV prevention intervention adapted for this population. Univariate analyses were performed using Chi-square and t-tests. RESULTS: Approximately 31% of this population was sexually active. Significant differences emerged between the respective influences of mothers and fathers for this population. Adolescents who reported that their fathers were always home were less likely to be sexually active than those who reported their fathers were seldom or never home (Χ² = 10.26, df 4; p=.036). Having participated in leisure or school activities with a father figure was significantly different for sexually active and non-sexually active adolescents (t = 2.493; p = .014) with 74.3% of the non-sexually active (mean of 2.4 activities) and 56.4% of the sexually active adolescents (mean of 1.5 activities) reporting involvement in some activities with their father (Χ²= 5.88, df 1; p=.015). No significant differences were noted for similar interactions with mothers. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that adolescents with a greater degree of involvement from their fathers were less likely to be sexually active than those with less paternal involvement. Understanding parental gender differences in influencing adolescents' risk behavior may be important in strengthening protective factors within Haitian families.

Learning Objectives: The learner will be able to

(
• Articulate family support factors that play an important role in influencing sexual behavior among Haitian American adolescents. (
• Understand the respective influence of fathers and mothers on adolescent risk behavior within Haitian families.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Family Involvement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No