Substance abuse in mothers and offspring predicts multiple sex partners in young adults

Background. Youth who have multiple sex partners in a short period of time may be at greater risk of exposure to HIV. Multiple sex partners and other risky behavior such as substance abuse (SA) often co-occur, and youth with family histories of SA may be the most vulnerable. The purpose of this study was to examine risk factors for having 3 or more intercourse partners in the last year in a birth cohort of young adults. Methods. We examined data from a longitudinal study that began during pregnancy and followed offspring over 2 decades. The current sample includes 288 men and 319 women (Mean age =22.8 years, SD= 0.69) who came in alone for a young adult assessment (43% African-American). Measures included prenatal drug exposure, maternal SA at the age 16 follow-up, offspring age at first oral and sexual intercourse, recent sexual behavior and SA in young adult offspring. Results. In a logistic regression, male sex and heavy drinking predicted 3 or more intercourse sex partners in the last year. Analyses were then stratified by sex. Heavy drinking was a risk factor for 3 or partners for both young men and women. However, for the young women only, maternal history of cocaine abuse or dependence was also a significant predictor. Conclusions. These findings provide evidence that maternal SA may be independently associated with risky sexual behavior in young women. These results have implications for public health initiatives to prevent HIV infection among high-risk girls.