141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

283503
Sexual behaviors and teen dating violence among black, hispanic, and white female adolescents

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Makini Boothe, MPH , Care and Treatment Branch, ASPH/CDC - Mozambique, Maputo, Mozambique
Rula Wilson, DNSc, RN , School of Nursing, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ
Teri Lassiter, PhD, MPH , UMDNJ-School of Public Health, Newark, NJ
Bart Holland, PhD, MPH , New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark
Teen dating violence has a profound impact on the reproductive and sexual health of adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in sexual behaviors among White, Black, and Hispanic adolescent females exposed to dating or sexual violence (DSV), using a secondary data analysis of the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The study also examines the interaction effect of exposure to DSV and race/ethnicity on sexual behaviors. Sexual behaviors included ever having sex; having sex before age 13; > 3 sexual partners in lifetime; multiple sexual partners in past 3 months; using drugs or alcohol before the most recent sexual encounter; using condom or birth control at last sexual encounter. The results show that sexual behaviors were significantly associated with both race/ethnicity and exposure to DSV, although exposure to DSV was a much stronger predictor. Additionally, the effect of DSV on condom use was more profound among Hispanic adolescents, while the effect of DSV on birth control use was more profound among both Black and Hispanic adolescents. These findings suggest that adolescent females exposed to dating and/or sexual violence are more likely to engage in sexual risk behaviors, thus increasing their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, STI transmission and unintended pregnancy. Adolescent health programs should address dating violence and sexual risk reduction simultaneously, with particular emphasis on birth control and condom use among ethnic minority populations. In addition, research on the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents should explore the unique contribution of dating violence on sexual risk behaviors.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe the association of teen dating violence and sexual risk behaviors female adolescents.

Keywords: Sexual Risk Behavior, Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract Author because I contributed to the design, analysis, and development of the content.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.