Using a probability-based neighborhood sample of urban African American youth and a sample of their close friends (N = 202), we conducted a one-year longitudinal study to examine key questions regarding sexual and drug using norms. The results provide validation of social norms governing sexual behavior, condom use, and substance use among…

We examined the direct contribution of parent and peer risk and promotive factors on youth condom use trajectories, in addition to the indirect influence of these factors via youth's substance use over four years in a sample of urban, African American youth (N = 679; 51% female; M = 14.86 years; SD = 0.65). Growth curve modeling was used to…

Limited research has captured the wide varieties of distinct, but interrelated, life stressors that young men who have sex with men (YMSM) experience as emerging adults. We examined the way recent experiences of a diverse set of stressors predict illicit drug use, alcohol misuse, and inconsistent condom use (i.e., unprotected anal intercourse)…

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention for parents of first year high school students in the State of Morelos, Mexico, whose aim was to impact adolescents' sexual behavior, knowledge and access to contraception. Material and methods: Quasi-experimental prospective study with eleven control and eleven intervention…

Most studies on sexual behavior have approached the relationship between AIDS knowledge and sexual behavior unidirectionally. This paper sets out to examine a reciprocal relationship between AIDS knowledge and sexual behavior, in which it is possible that adolescents who enter into sexuality may start to actively seek out information on sex.…

Research on pregnancy and sexual health among homeless youth is limited. In this study, qualitative interviews were conducted with 41 homeless young injection drug users (IDUs) in Los Angeles with a history of pregnancy. The relationship between recent pregnancy outcomes, contraception practices, housing status, substance use, utilization of…

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between socioeconomic status and family structure with risky sexual behaviors in adolescents. Methods: A total of 1782 15-year-old Belgrade schoolchildren (47.5% boys and 52.5% girls) completed a questionnaire from the WHO study, "Health behavior of schoolchildren."…

Examined prevalence of and factors associated with pregnancy and abortion among vocation school students in northern Thailand. Age, current contraceptive use, early initiation of sexual intercourse, alcohol and drug use, and sexual coercion were associated with self or partner pregnancy. High rates of pregnancy and abortion indicate the need for…

Study examined effects of a partner's insistence on condom use. After first time sex, participants felt more responsible, less at-risk, and less worried when a condom was used. Partners were evaluated as more responsible, more caring, and less likely to have a sexually transmitted disease. Insistence on condom use resulted in less guilt and…

Examined heterosexual behavior among 908 18-year-olds in Glasgow, Scotland. Proportion who reported having experienced sexual intercourse was slightly lower than that reported in studies elsewhere. Found marked sex differences, with males reporting being significantly younger at first intercourse and having had more sexual partners than females.…

Using the 1995 new cohort of the National Survey of Adolescent Males, this paper examines the association between perceptions of child support and adolescent males' sexual activity. The results indicate that adolescent males who expect the chance of being required to pay child support is high if one becomes a non-resident father or who has a…

Examines communication about contraception and specific knowledge of oral contraceptives (OCs) in a sample of Norwegian high school students. More females than males discussed contraception at least monthly. Discussions were predominantly held with peers and not adults. Females were far more knowledgeable about OCs than males. The most significant…

Eighty male and female heterosexual adolescents completed questionnaires concerning sexual behavior and condom use, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) knowledge, ability to communicate with sexual partners about AIDS-related issues, and communication with parents about sex and AIDS. Adolescents' perceived ability to communicate with…

Examines attitudes of 129 teenagers concerning teenage pregnancy and early sex. Results indicate that 73% of girls advocated joint responsibility for contraceptive protection compared with only 46% of boys. Significantly more boys than girls saw nothing wrong with casual sex and significantly less boys than girls upheld the virtue of commitment in…

Male college students completed anonymous questionnaires on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) related knowledge, attitudes, moral development, personality factors, and behaviors. Adolescents reporting multiple sex partners, drinking, and picking up sex partners were significantly more likely to engage in sex without condoms, as were adolescents…