Over 1,000,000 adolescent girls become pregnant each year, and nearly half of these girls give birth. Individuals between the ages of 20 and 29 account for nearly 20% of all documented AIDS cases. Given the long incubation period for the AIDS virus, many of these individuals were probably infected during sexual activity in adolescence. This exploratory research examined the predictive ability of demographic, developmental and personality variables on becoming sexually active, and on AIDS risk-taking and pregnancy risk-taking behavior in middle adolescence. A sample of 381 high school students (204 females, 177 males), age 14-18, from a town in Western Massachusetts completed a questionnaire. The majority of the sample (57%) reported having had sexual intercourse. Having a sexually active best friend, lower school achievement (GPA), lesser perceived parental support, and high sensation seeking needs were all associated with experience with sexual intercourse. Participants who initiated intercourse at a younger age, had higher sensation seeking needs, a sexual abuse history, and who were older were those who exhibited the highest levels of AIDS risk-taking behavior. Participants who were younger, who initiated sex earlier, and had a sexual abuse history were those most likely to exhibit pregnancy risk-taking behavior. Some significant gender differences were noted for factors influencing sexual risk-taking. Results provide further support for the effects of sexual abuse on adolescent development and sexuality. The findings suggest a need for education in middle and elementary school, and the importance of using peer-led intervention efforts.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-9038 |
| Date | 01 January 1995 |
| Creators | Rice, Scott Allan |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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