Social cognitive processes mediating the relationship between exposure to television's sexual content and adolescents' sexual behavior.

This study used multiple-group structural equation modeling to test a model explaining the association between exposure to televised sexual content and initiation of intercourse among an ethnically diverse national sample of 1,292 adolescents. The authors hypothesized, on the basis of social-cognitive theory, that exposure to televised sexual content would influence adolescents' safe-sex self-efficacy, sex-related outcome expectancies, and perceived peer norms regarding sex, and that each of these would, in turn, influence intercourse initiation. Findings support a model in which the relationship between exposure to TV's sexual content and intercourse initiation is mediated by safe-sex self-efficacy among African Americans and Whites but not among Hispanics. Outcome expectancies and perceived peer norms may also mediate the link between exposure and intercourse initiation among all 3 racial/ethnic groups, although evidence of this could not be confirmed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of condom availability [correction of distribution] in Seattle schools on sexual behavior and condom use

OBJECTIVES: Ten Seattle high schools made condoms available through vending machines, baskets in school clinics, or both. This study measured the number of condoms that students obtained and subsequent changes in sexual behavior and condom use. METHODS: Schoolwide surveys were administered in spring 1993 and in spring 1995, before and during the condom availability program. These data were compared with data from nationally representative surveys administered at the same time. RESULTS: Seattle students obtained an average of 4.6 condoms per year, the vast majority from baskets and very few from vending machines. Relative to the national samples, the percentage of Seattle students who had ever had sex remained stable after the program began; current sexual activity decreased significantly; and the percentage of sexually experienced students who used a condom the last time they had sex decreased significantly, particularly in the 5 schools with baskets of condoms in clinics. CONCLUSIONS: Making condoms available in Seattle schools enabled students to obtain relatively large numbers of condoms but did not lead to increases in either sexual activity or condom use.     

Changes in sexual behavior and condom use among teenaged males: 1988 to 1995

OBJECTIVES: This study examines shifts in sexual experience and condom use among US teenaged males. METHODS: Results from the 1988 and 1995 National Surveys of Adolescent Males were compared. RESULTS: The proportion of never-married 15- to 19-year-old males who had had sex with a female declined from 60% to 55% (P = .06). The share of those sexually active using a condom at last intercourse rose from 57% to 67% (P < .01). Overall, the proportion of males who had sex without condoms last year declined from 37% to 27% (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Although protective behaviors among teenagers have increased, significant proportions of teenagers--especially Black and Hispanic males--remain unprotected.     

Effects of neighborhood and family stressors on African American male adolescents' self-worth and propensity for violent behavior

Multilevel data were used to examine the effects of neighborhood poverty on family stress and conflict, African American male adolescents' self-worth, and their propensity for violent behavior. Block group-level census data were linked with survey data from 188 African American male adolescents and their mothers. Path analyses indicated that neighborhood poverty did not directly affect adolescents' propensity for violent behavior but may have had an indirect effect through family stress and conflict and adolescents' self-worth. Subgroup analyses revealed that adolescents who had lived in their neighborhoods for more than 5 years were more susceptible to the potentially detrimental effects of neighborhood-level poverty and family stress and conflict. Implications for future research and prevention programming are discussed.     

Individual and familial influences on the onset of sexual intercourse among urban African American adolescents.

A sample of 198 African American families, living in urban poverty, participated in a longitudinal study of adolescent sexual development beginning when children were in the 4th or 5th grade. Self-reports of family conflict and pubertal development and videotaped family interaction data were collected at 2 time points approximately 2 years apart. Youths reported on sexual debut at each time point. More boys than girls reached sexual debut early. Greater levels of family conflict predicted early sexual debut. Observational data indicated more developed preadolescents with greater family conflict and less positive affect were least likely to delay debut. Changes in pubertal development and observed family conflict were associated with early debut. Possible mediating mechanisms and implications for preventive interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Protection and vulnerability processes relevant for early onset of substance use: A test among African American children.

This research tested predictions from a self-regulation model of factors relevant for early onset of tobacco and alcohol use with a community sample of 889 African American children (mean age?=?10.5 years). Criterion variables were peer substance use, willingness to use substances, and resistance efficacy (intention to refuse substance offers). Structural modeling indicated effects of temperament dimensions were mediated through self-control and risk-taking constructs, which were related to school involvement, life events, and perceived vulnerability to harmful effects of substances. Peer use was predicted by life events, poor self-control, and parent-child conflict; willingness was predicted by life events, risk taking, and (inversely) parental support; and resistance efficacy was predicted by perceived vulnerability and (inversely) poor self-control. Findings are discussed with reference to theoretical models of early protection and vulnerability processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional judgments about the relationship between speech and intelligence in African American preschoolers

This study investigated listener judgments of the speech of African American preschoolers. Forty-four judges (Head Start teaching staff = 18, pediatricians = 15, and speech-language pathologists = 11) were asked to watch and listen to a video tape of six children and to judge each child's speech and intelligence. Head Start teaching staff and pediatricians were both likely to perceive that speech and intelligence were related, although the two groups held differing views about the nature of that relationship. Speech-language pathologists were likely to perceive speech as being relatively independent of intelligence.     

Psychosocial factors associated with the stages of change for condom use among women at risk for HIV and STDs: implications for intervention development

This study examined the prevalence of consistent condom use among inner-city women at risk for HIV, measured the distribution of these women across the stages of change for condom use, determined psychosocial factors associated with the stages, and suggested intervention strategies based on the results. The 5-city sample of women aged 15-34 years consisted predominantly of African Americans. Only 18% reported consistent condom use with main partners and 45% with other partners. Logistic regressions compared women in each stage of change with those in higher stages for each partner type. Results indicated that women who practice or intend to practice consistent condom use were more likely to talk with others about condoms, acknowledge the advantages of condoms, have higher self-efficacy for condom use, and indicate that people important to them favored condom use. Intervention approaches are suggested for women in different stages of change for condom use.     

Propensity scoring and the relationship between sexual media and adolescent sexual behavior: Comment on Steinberg and Monahan (2011).

Longitudinal research has demonstrated a link between exposure to sexual content in media and subsequent changes in adolescent sexual behavior, including initiation of intercourse and various noncoital sexual activities. Based on a reanalysis of one of the data sets involved, Steinberg and Monahan (2011) have challenged these findings. However, propensity score approaches—especially the version of this method used by Steinberg and Monahan, which lacks covariates—do not necessarily result in more accurate estimates of treatment effects than does the regression with covariates approach employed by prior research. There are also a number of problems with the specific set of analyses presented by Steinberg and Monahan and the conclusion they draw from them. In contrast to Steinberg and Monahan's claim, there is substantial evidence of an association between sexual media exposure and adolescent sexual initiation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving condom use intentions and behavior by changing perceived partner norms: An evaluation of condom promotion videos for college students.

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of 2 condom promotion videotapes on self-efficacy, intentions, and behavior. Design: Two hundred twenty college students completed social-cognitive and behavioral measures and were then randomly assigned to receive one of two 30-min condom promotion videotapes (male or female student presenters) or to a wait-list control condition. Participants who watched 1 of the videotapes completed immediate posttest measures, and 85% of participants completed a 4-month follow-up. Main Outcome Measures: Self-efficacy for condom use, intentions to use condoms, use of condom during last sex, and consistent condom use over the last month. Results: Participants who received either video reported greater self-efficacy to refuse to have unprotected sex and intentions than controls at follow-up. Individuals who received either video were more likely than controls to report using a condom during last sex with a regular partner, and those who watched the female presenter were more likely to report consistent condom use. Conclusion: Participants benefited in terms of self-efficacy and intentions from receiving either video, but both men and women benefited more in terms of condom use behavior from receiving the female video. Future research is needed to determine whether opposite-sex speaker videos could be beneficial with a larger (and more sexually active) sample and whether these effects are maintained over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the nature of the relationship between child sexual abuse and substance use among women

AIMS: This study investigated whether child abuse (CSA) was associated with earlier substance use and greater severity of substance dependence and what aspects of CSA might predict substance abuse. DESIGN: The study compared (a) drug and alcohol treatment clients with and without a history of CSA and (b) CSA survivors outside drug and alcohol treatment who did or did not have current substance abuse. SETTINGS: Semi-structured interviews took place at participants' homes, treatment agencies or the research centre. PARTICIPANTS: Volunteer participants included 100 women recruited from drug and alcohol treatment programmes and 80 CSA survivors recruited through CSA counseling services and medial advertising. MEASUREMENTS: The results focus on data from the Opiate Treatment Index, Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, Substance Dependence Scale, Self-Esteem Inventory and self-reported histories of CSA. FINDINGS: There were no differences between CSA survivors and other drug and alcohol treatment clients in their severity of dependence. Women with a history of CSA more frequently identified stimulants as their main problem drug and reported an earlier age of first intoxication and earlier use of inhalants. Among abused CSA survivors outside drug and alcohol treatment, women with current substance abuse had typically been abused during adolescence by someone outside the family, whereas those without current substance abuse were typically abused by family members before adolescence. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that adolescence is a crucial time for the influence of CSA experiences on substance abuse.     

Parenting, parent–child relationships, and sexual possibility situations among urban African American preadolescents: Preliminary findings and implications for HIV prevention.

This article examines associations among parenting, parent–child relationships, and children's exposure to sexual possibility situations. African American families (N?=?310) with preadolescent children were interviewed regarding parenting, parent–child relations, and demographic history. Children were interviewed privately about their exposure to sexual possibility situations. Results revealed marginal effects of child gender as well as effects of parent education and parent employment on children's exposure to sexual possibility situations. An interaction effect indicated that parenting support may be a protective factor against exposure to sexual possibility situations among children whose mothers were adolescents at the time of their 1st childbirth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supportive friendships moderate the association between stressful life events and sexual risk taking among African American adolescents.

Objective: This study examined whether uncontrollable stressful life events were associated with sexual risk taking among adolescents across a 1-year period, and whether supportive friendships modified associations. Design: Participants were 159 sexually active African American adolescents (57% male; mean age [SD] = 17.0 [1.5] years at baseline). Participants were recruited for in-person interviews through random digit dialing in one inner-city neighborhood characterized by high rates of poverty and crime relative to the surrounding city. Main Outcome Measures: Dependent variables included substance use before sexual activity and inconsistent condom use. Results: Among adolescents who reported low levels of supportive friendships, uncontrollable stressors were associated with greater levels of sexual risk taking over time. In contrast, uncontrollable stressors were not associated with sexual risk taking among adolescents who reported high social support from friends; risk taking was typically moderate to high among these adolescents. Conclusion: Different processes may explain sexual risk taking among adolescents with varying levels of social support from friends. Adolescents with low support may be prone to engagement in health risk behavior as a stress response, while adolescents with high support may engage in risk behavior primarily due to peer socialization of risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

African-American adolescents' knowledge, health-related attitudes, sexual behavior, and contraceptive decisions: Implications for the prevention of adolescent HIV infection.

195 African-American adolescents completed measures of knowledge related to AIDS, attitudes toward condoms, health locus of control, vulnerability to HIV infection, peer sexual norms, personal sexual behavior for the past 6 mo, and contraceptive preferences. Hotelling's T–2 tests revealed that girls were more knowledgeable about AIDS, reported fewer sexual partners, held more positive attitudes toward precautionary sexual behavior, and perceived themselves to have greater control than boys. Five variables accounted for 44% of the variance in condom use: condom use from the 1st intercourse occasion, earlier grade in school, lower belief in an external locus of control, and higher scores on the Effect on Sexual Experience and Self-Control subscales of the Condom Attitude Scale. Implications for the content, format, and timing of HIV prevention with African-American adolescents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theories of reasoned action and planned behavior as models of condom use: A meta-analysis.

To examine how well the theories of reasoned action and planned behavior predict condom use, the authors synthesized 96 data sets (N?=?22,594) containing associations between the models' key variables. Consistent with the theory of reasoned action's predictions, (a) condom use was related to intentions (weighted mean r.?=?.45), (b) intentions were based on attitudes (r.?=?.58) and subjective norms (r.?=?.39), and (c) attitudes were associated with behavioral beliefs (r.?=?.56) and norms were associated with normative beliefs (r.?=?.46). Consistent with the theory of planned behavior's predictions, perceived behavioral control was related to condom use intentions (r.?=?.45) and condom use (r.?=?.25), but in contrast to the theory, it did not contribute significantly to condom use. The strength of these associations, however, was influenced by the consideration of past behavior. Implications of these results for HIV prevention efforts are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do birds of a feather flock together? The variable bases for African American, Asian American, and European American adolescents' selection of similar friends.

Variability in adolescent-friend similarity is documented in a diverse sample of African American, Asian American, and European American adolescents. Similarity was greatest for substance use, modest for academic orientations, and low for ethnic identity. Compared with Asian American and European American adolescents, African American adolescents chose friends who were less similar with respect to academic orientation or substance use but more similar with respect to ethnic identity. For all three ethnic groups, personal endorsement of the dimension in question and selection of cross-ethnic-group friends heightened similarity. Similarity was a relative rather than an absolute selection criterion: Adolescents did not choose friends with identical orientations. These findings call for a comprehensive theory of friendship selection sensitive to diversity in adolescents' experiences. Implications for peer influence and self-development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of an abusive primary partner on the condom use and sexual negotiation practices of African-American women

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the consequences of having a physically abusive primary partner on the condom use and sexual negotiation practices of young African-American women. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 165 sexually active African-American women aged 18 through 29 in San Francisco, Calif. RESULTS: Women in abusive relationships were less likely than others to use condoms and were more likely to experience verbal abuse, emotional abuse, or threats of physical abuse when they discussed condoms. They were more fearful of asking their partners to use condoms, worried more about acquiring the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and felt more isolated than did women not in abusive relationships. CONCLUSIONS: HIV prevention programs for women should address domestic violence prevention strategies.     

Factors that mediate and moderate the link between partner abuse and suicidal behavior in African American women.

Findings from a study comparing partner abuse in African American women suicide attempters (n?=?148) and nonattempters (n?=?137) revealed higher rates of physical and nonphysical partner abuse among attempters than their demographically similar nonsuicidal counterparts. The partner abuse–suicidal behavior link was mediated by psychological distress, hopelessness, and drug use and moderated by social support. Results also revealed that nonphysical partner abuse accounted for unique variance in the prediction of suicide attempt status beyond that attributable to childhood maltreatment. Implications of the findings for assessing both suicidal and abused women are discussed, and recommendations for preventive interventions for women at risk for suicidal behavior are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beauty is in the soul of the beholder: psychological implications of beauty and African American women

An in vitro receptor binding and in vivo microdialysis study was performed to further investigate the modulation of dopamine (DA) D2 receptors by neurotensin (NT) peptides. Saturation experiments with the D2 agonist [3H]NPA (N-propylnorapomorphine) showed that 10 nM of NT, 10 nM of neuromedin N (NN) and 1 nM of the C-terminal NT-(8-13) fragment significantly increased the KD values by 125%, 181%, and 194%, respectively without significantly affecting the Bmax value of the [3H]NPA binding sites in coronal sections of rat ventral forebrain mainly containing the nucleus accumbens (Acb) and the olfactory tubercle. In line with the previous findings that NT can increase GABA release in the Acb and that NT receptors are not found on DA terminals in this brain region, the present in vivo microdialysis study demonstrated that local perfusion of NT (1 nM) counteracted the D2 agonist pergolide (2 mu M) induced inhibition of GABA, but not of DA release in the rat Acb. This result indicates that NT counteracts the D2 agonist induced inhibition of GABA release in the rat Acb, via an antagonistic postsynaptic NT/D2 receptor interaction as also suggested by the inhibitory regulation of D2 receptor affinity in the Acb by the NT peptides demonstrated in the present receptor binding experiments. Thus, the neuroleptic and potential antipsychotic profile of the NT peptides may involve an antagonistic NT/D2 receptor regulation in the ventral striatum.     

An examination of the relationship between achievement values and perceptions of barriers among low-SES African American and Latino students.

Peer nomination procedures were used to explore the development of academic achievement values and their relation to perceptions of barriers to opportunity. A total of 615 boys and girls across 3 grade levels (2nd, 4th, 7th) and 2 ethnic groups (African American, Latino) nominated peers who they admired, respected, and wanted to be like. Nominations were summed to create a value index. Girls in both ethnic groups and across grade levels were more likely to nominate high- or average-achieving same-gender classmates as those who they admired, respected, and wanted to be like. Second- and 4th-grade boys in both ethnic groups reported a nomination pattern similar to that of girls. However, 7th-grade boys in both ethnic groups showed a relative preference for low-achieving same-gender classmates as valued. Perceptions of barriers were related to increasing valuing of low achievers among African American 7th-grade boys. Implications of the findings for understanding the motivational challenges of ethnic minority male adolescents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)