Risky sexual behaviors, or behaviors with the risk of an adverse health outcome, are on the rise. Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are also on the rise. Research suggests that several variables are closely related to human sexual behavior, namely sexual attitudes, sexual knowledge, and gender. Individuals with more permissive sexual attitudes tend to engage in riskier sexual behaviors. Studies examining the relationship between sexual knowledge and risky sexual behavior show both positive and negative associations. Although risky behaviors can occur between partners of any gender, the present study focuses on heterosexual relationships.The present study uses data from a nationally representative sample of 3,737 adults living in the People's Republic of China (PRC) who completed a computerized interview about their sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. I used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a mediation model with sexual attitudes as a mediator between sexual knowledge and four risky sexual behaviors: number of sexual partners, extradyadic sex, age of first intercourse, and paying for sex. I found significant indirect effects of attitudes on every risky sexual behavior other than age of first intercourse. There was a significant gender moderation such that attitudes predicted stronger effects on behavior for women than for men. These findings have implications for future efforts to create interventions and prevention programs for risky sexual behavior. Although the present study has some limitations, it contributes to a gap in the literature by replicating a Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB) model of risky sexual behavior a large, representative sample of adults across the PRC.

No description available.

No description available.

This research proposes to identify the range of knowledge and attitudes among kindergarten teachers toward childrens' sexual behaviors. The following behaviors are addressed: 1. Masturbation 2. Heterosexual play 3. Homosexual play 4. Questions related to sexuality. Specifically, the study is developed through the examination of the following eight sub-problems: (1) The first sub-problem is to determine the frequency with which teachers observe these specified behaviors; (2) the second sub-problem is to determine if teachers consider these specified behaviors to be normal expressions of child development, non-normal expressions of child developments, or if they don't know how to consider them; (3) the third sub-problem is to determine if teachers consider these specified behaviors to be sexual, non-sexual, or if they don't know how to consider them; (4) the fourth sub-problem is to determine whether teachers respond to these specified behaviors by suppressing them, ignoring them, or discussing them with the class; (5) the fifth sub-problem is to determine if years of experience in teaching at a kindergarten level is related to the frequency with which teachers observe these specified behaviors; (6) the sixth sub-problem is to determine if years of experience in teaching at a kindergarten level is related to whether teachers consider these specified behaviors as sexual, nonsexual, or to their not knowing how to consider them; and finally, (8) the eighth sub-problem is to determine if years of experience in teaching at a kindergarten level is related to whether teachers' response to these specified behaviors is suppressing them, ignoring them, or discussing them with the class. The present study is limited to kindergarten teachers only, as well as to four districts within the San Joaquin Valley area: Lodi Unified School District, Stockton Unified School District; Lincoln Unified School District; and the Manteca Unified School District. The study is also limited in representativeness, since participation was voluntary. Results will not include generalizations; only the data is described.

Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the adolescent/young adult population of the United States is a serious, growing problem. The current HIV risk-reduction strategies for adolescents have been less than effective in stemming the tide of infection. This ineffectiveness can be linked to failure of making developmentally appropriate risk-reduction informational material and reliance on condom-based interventions, which have an unacceptably high failure rate. A critical analysis of current models of HIV-risk reduction should be undertaken to create more developmentally appropriate and effective methods.

Sexual experiences of 1255 adolescents admitted to a juvenile detention facility were assessed through their responses to a health history questionnaire. More than 80% reported sexual experience. Age at first intercourse acknowledged by females was early (mean 13 years) but rarely prepubertal and was similar for blacks and non-blacks. Males commonly reported beginning sexual experience before age 10 years (40% in blacks and 20% in nonblacks). Sexual activity continued in most, with 73% of the sexually experienced teens reporting intercourse in the month prior to admission. Reports of recent sexual activity increased with age in all race/gender groups. For females, 26% reported sexual misuse compared to 2% of the males. Willingness to answer questions about sexual experiences varied with the question and increased with age. Prepubertal sexual activity is a more common phenomenon than is generally acknowledged. To what extent the experiences reported in our study represent the norm for behavior among individuals of similar back-ground requires further study.

Background: Research finds a strong association between substance use and risky sexual behavior but more needs to be known about this relationship. Few studies have examined this relationship among rural sixth- to eighth-grade students. As such, the purposes of this study were to provide a descriptive profile of rural sixth- to eighth-grade students' substance use behavior and sexual activity and to examine the relationship between substance use behaviors and sexual activity. Methods Participants consisted of a convenience sample of 10,273 middle school students (sixth to eighth grade) attending 10 public schools in rural Tennessee. The middle school Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to these students during April and May 2004. Results Analysis found that a large percentage of students had tried cigarettes, alcohol, and inhalants. Additionally, it was found that sexual intercourse had been initiated by 18.8% of females and 25.4% of males. Of those students who reported ever having had sexual intercourse, 75% had reported the use of cigarettes and alcohol. In addition, approximately 50% of those students reported marijuana and inhalant use. Conclusions The results suggest that substance use behavior has a relationship with the likelihood of initiating sexual activity. Additional longitudinal research with this population will be needed for explaining whether these select substance use behaviors are probable risk factors predisposing young rural adolescents to report engaging in sexual behaviors or a result of other factors.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between adolescent sexual behavior, motivations, and identity status. A review of the literature indicated that deviant behaviors covary, and that drug use and abuse and the motivations for same are related to identity status . A questionnaire, including the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status(EOM-EIS) and a series of questions to gather information about sexual behaviors and motivations, was employed. The sample consisted of 579 university students ranging in age from 17 to 25. The dependent variable (sexual behavior and motivation) was viewed through the categorical assignments of identity status achieved, moratorium, foreclosed, and diffused, as well as through individual scores. As anticipated there was a relationship between sexual behavior and identity status; specifically, risky sexual behavior was positively correlated with identity diffusion, and abstinence with identity foreclosure. Adolescents in all statuses were equally consistent users of contraception, not just identity achieved as hypothesized. There was not a clear response pattern mediated by identity status as initially anticipated. Implications were discussed.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Adolescents are at disproportionate risk for health consequences associated with risky sexual behavior (RSB), including sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. Racial disparities have also been observed with African American adolescents experiencing higher rates of such negative health outcomes than their White peers. Substance use, particularly alcohol and marijuana use, has been shown to predict RSB among adolescents of both racial groups. However, research suggests that alcohol use is more predictive of RSB in White adolescents than African American adolescents, perhaps due to significantly higher rates of alcohol use among White adolescents. Given recent trends indicating higher rates of marijuana use among African American adolescents than their White peers and a strong association between marijuana use and RSB among African American adolescents, marijuana use may better explain the relationship between substance use and risky sexual behavior among African Americans than alcohol use. Thus, the current study examined whether alcohol and marijuana use have differential effects on adolescent RSB by race at the event- and global-level of analysis. To that end, 113 adolescents ages 14-18 (African American = 93, White=20) completed self-report measures of substance use and RSB. Contrary to hypotheses, results revealed no racial differences in the relationship between substance use and RSB. However, post-hoc analyses revealed that marijuana use significantly predicted frequency of sex among African American adolescents above the effects of alcohol. These findings indicate that previously documented racial differences in the relationship between substance use and RSB may not be accounted for by marijuana use, but suggest that future studies continue to examine the unique impact of marijuana use on RSB, particularly among African American adolescents.

No description available.