Measuring motivations for secondary abstinence among African-American young women

Background: Some African-American young women abstain from sexual activity following sexual debut, a practice known as secondary abstinence. Although secondary abstinence may contribute to reducing HIV/STI-related risk in this population, little research attention has been devoted to understanding why these young women may choose to abstain. Further, the scope of the findings from previous studies may be limited by the quantitative approaches employed. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate motivations for secondary abstinence among African-American young women. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 sexually-experienced African-American young women, ages 18-23, who had completed an HIV-risk reduction program and expressed interest in abstinence. Grounded theory, an inductive approach consisting of systematic data collection and analysis techniques, was used to identify secondary abstinence motivations. Results: Motivations for secondary abstinence not identified in previous studies included feeling used for sex, partner infidelity, and abuse or sexual assault. Also, young women were motivated to abstain from sex in order to focus on improving various aspects of their lives. Respondents reported motivations similar to those identified in previous studies as well, including not being married or in a committed relationship, being away from one's partner, and STI and pregnancy experiences or fears. Conclusions: The information gained from this investigation can be used to improve survey measures of secondary abstinence motivations in African-American young women. Further, this knowledge can also be used to develop and refine HIV/STI interventions for this population.