Non-sexual violence and connectedness in adolescence: What are the implications for STD/HIV infection in young adulthood?

Background: Violence in childhood is associated with later sexual risk behaviors and HIV infection. Conversely, connectedness, or emotional attachment and commitment to social relationships, is protective for several adolescent sexual risk behaviors. Few analyses, however, examine the association between violence or connectedness and sexual health longitudinally. Even fewer consider non-sexual violence as a predictor or STD infection as the outcome. Finally, no research examines how connectedness might moderate the association between violence and STD/HIV. Methods: Data from Waves I (grades 7-12) and IV (ages 24-32) (n=14,800) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used. Multivariate logistic regressions examined the longitudinal association between (a) non-sexual violence victimization and perpetration and subsequent self-reported STD/HIV and (b) parent-family, school and community connectedness and subsequent self-reported STD/HIV. Interactions between violence involvement and each connectedness construct were tested in an additional model. Results: Controlling for biological sex, race/ethnicity, age, parent's education, and parent's marital status, violence victimization and perpetration were associated with an increased risk of STD/HIV (AOR=1.27, 95% CI=1.07-1.52 and AOR=1.22, 95% CI=1.05-1.41, respectively). Parent-family and school connectedness were associated with a decreased risk of STD/HIV (AOR=0.96, 95% CI=0.95-0.98 and AOR=0.97, 95% CI=0.95-0.997, respectively). Connectedness did not moderate the association between violence and STD/HIV. Conclusions: These findings suggest that non-sexual violence victimization and perpetration in adolescence are risk factors for STD/HIV infection in adulthood. Given that parent-family and school connectedness appear to directly reduce the likelihood of later STD/HIV, research should explore the role of connectedness in STD/HIV prevention.