Characteristics of Adolescents Who Intervene to Stop the Risky & Dangerous Behavior of Their Friends

Adolescents value protecting friends from harm and report that they do intervene as bystanders in friends' risky and dangerous behavior. Moreover intervention can be effective in reducing such behaviors. 

The Protection-Risk Framework was used to explain bystander intervention. There were 962 students from 13 Australian high schools (mean age at time 1=13.44 years) surveyed in their 9th grade and again 1-year later when students were in 10th grade. 

We found that protective factors of self-efficacy, support, prosocial models, social control, and ease of opportunity related to greater intervening behavior after 12-months. Among those who reported that they had intervened in a 3-month period, a cumulative measure of protective factors was associated with their reports of intervening. Risk factors were non-significant predictors after accounting for earlier, time 1, bystander intervening behavior and demographic factors. 

The findings highlight potential mechanisms to promote adolescents' looking out for their friends and provide an assessment over time of bystander behavior. The theory-guided inquiry into such behavior provides a foundation on which to better develop our understanding of benefits to adolescent friendship in the injury field.

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By:  Buckley L1, Chapman RL2.

• 1University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan, 2901 Baxter Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety-Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, 130 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia. Electronic address: lisadb@umich.edu.au.
• 2Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety-Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, 130 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia.
• Accid Anal Prev. 2016 Mar;88:187-93. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2015.12.023. Epub 2016 Jan 19. 

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Withdrawal as Pregnancy Prevention & Associated Risk Factors among US High School Students

PURPOSE:

Withdrawal is less effective for preventing pregnancy than other contraceptive methods and offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections including HIV. Little is known from a national perspective about adolescents who primarily use withdrawal. This study describes the prevalence of withdrawal as their primary method of pregnancy prevention at last sexual intercourse among sexually active US high school students and associations with sexual risk and substance use.

METHODS:

Data from the 2011 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey were used to estimate sexually active students' most recent contraceptive method. Logistic regressions examined sexual behaviors and substance use, comparing students who used withdrawal to those who used no method, a condom and a highly effective method.

RESULTS:

Among 4793 currently sexually active students, 10.2% used withdrawal only, 12.4% used no method, 53.6% used a condom and 23.8% used a more effective method as their primary form of pregnancy prevention during last sexual intercourse. Students who used withdrawal were less likely than those who used no method to have had sexual intercourse before age 13 years (Adjusted Prevalence Ratio (APR) =.56) and currently use cocaine (APR=.36). Among females, students who used withdrawal were more likely to engage in risky behaviors than those who used a condom and those who used a highly effective method of pregnancy prevention in a number of ways (e.g., having multiple sex partners during the past 3 months, current alcohol use, binge drinking, current marijuana use, drank alcohol or used drugs before last sexual intercourse).

CONCLUSIONS:

Approximately 1 in 10 sexually active students used withdrawal only, about the same percentage as those who used no method. Health care providers and others who serve adolescents may want to discuss its pros and cons with their clients and help ensure that they have information about and access to other contraceptive methods that are more effective at preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Health care professionals should not consider young people who use withdrawal similar in risk to those that use no method.

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By:  Liddon N1, O'Malley Olsen E2, Carter M3, Hatfield-Timajchy K4.

• 1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health. Electronic address: nel6@cdc.gov.
• 2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health.
• 3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of STD Prevention.
• 4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health. 
• Contraception. 2016 Feb;93(2):126-32. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2015.08.015. Epub 2015 Sep 10.

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Momentary Affect & Risky Behavior Correlates of Prescription Drug Misuse among Young Adult Dating Couples

Although published research based on retrospective survey designs has established prescription drug misuse as a serious health issue for individuals and society, misuse behavior has not been investigated as it occurs in daily life and important relationships. To address this gap, young adult romantic couples were recruited from the community to participate in an experience sampling study. 

Participants were identified through phone screen procedures as having engaged in recent prescription drug misuse behavior. Participants (n=46 couples) completed electronic diary reports throughout the day for 10 days, tapping momentary affect, sexual experiences, prescription drug misuse, and alcohol and other drug use. Dyadic multilevel modeling revealed a more consistent pattern of associations between prescription drug misuse and problematic affective and behavioral outcomes for female partners than male partners. Specifically, during epochs of females' prescription drug misuse, they experienced relatively higher levels of negative affect and sexual regret. 

Also, females who misused prescriptions more during the study period evidenced lower levels of sexual enjoyment and engaged in more unprotected sex, alcohol use, and heavy alcohol use in daily life. Males' in-the-moment prescription drug misuse was not associated with their concurrent outcomes, though males with relatively more misuse across the reporting period were more likely to engage in heavy drinking. 

Couples' time together emerged as a moderator of prescription drug misuse in daily life: Females who spent relatively more time with their partner across the study were less likely to engage in misuse, and proportion of time spent together moderated several of the momentary misuse-outcome linkages. 

This study supports the use of ecologically-valid sampling methods for characterizing young adults' prescription drug misuse in daily life and relationship contexts

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By:  Papp LM1, Blumenstock SM2.

• 1University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Electronic address: papp@wisc.edu.
• 2University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Electronic address: sblumenstock@wisc.edu. 

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Knowledge and Behavioural Factors Associated with Gender Gap in Acquiring HIV among Youth in Uganda

The increasing prevalence of HIV in Uganda during the last decade (7.5% in 2004-05 to 8.3% in 2011 among women and 5.0% in 2004-05 to 6.1% among men in 2011 of 15 to 49 years) clearly shows that women are disproportionately affected by HIV epidemic. Hence, we assessed the prevalence of HIV and focused on differences in risky sexual behaviour and knowledge of HIV among Ugandan youth.

Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey 2011 data was used. The total samples of men and women (15 to 24 years), interviewed and tested for HIV, were 3450 and 4504 respectively. The analysis of risky sexual behaviour was based on 1941 men and 3127 women who had ever had sex and were tested for HIV. Pearson’s Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used.

Findings showed that young women were almost two times more vulnerable than young men in acquiring HIV . 

• Women who had first sex under age 15 (7.3%), had more than 2 sexual partners (9.2%) and did not use condom during last sex (6.4%) were more HIV-positive. 
• Higher risk was found among women (6.3%) than men (2.2%). 
• Significantly less percentage (81.3%) of women as compared to men (83.8%) perceived that the probability of HIV transmission may be reduced by correct and consistent use of the condom during sex.

Hence, there is an urgent need for effective strategies and programmes to raise awareness on sexual health and risky behaviour, particularly targeting the youth, which will reduce the gender gap in risky sexual behaviour and new transmission of HIV in Uganda.

Below:  HIV prevalence among youth by sex in Uganda, 2011

Full article at:  http://goo.gl/6kvXCM

By: Shraboni Patra and Rakesh Kumar Singh

International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India

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Characteristics of Youth Sexual & Reproductive Health & Risky Behaviors in Two Rural Provinces of Cambodia

Background

The global number of youths has risen with a majority living in Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, rural youths often face difficult barriers to health, which include lack of sexual and reproductive health knowledge, information, and services. Risky behaviors are a threat to the health of many young people in Cambodia.

Results

A majority (90%) stated that a boy or girl should defer sex till marriage. A majority of youths (92%) also reported that they may or definitely will seek sexual and reproductive health services in the future. About 5.4 % of youth had a prior sexual experience. Only 6.7% of youth reported having they traveled to a local health center, hospital or clinic to seek healthcare for a reproductive health problem. Overall, 27% reported alcohol use in prior 30 days. Relative to girls, boys were more likely to report alcohol use, going out late at night with friends, gambling, pornography use, gambling, and practicing risky behaviors with peers. Living with both parents and current school enrollment, had limited impact on rural youth’s individual and social behaviors.

Conclusion

Although there are favorable findings compatible with traditional Cambodian values and beliefs, the youth in this study are challenged with alcohol use, practicing risky behaviors with peers, and low condom use. Findings have implications for practice and policy to prevent substance abuse and improve outcomes for substance use, sexual and reproductive health.

Via: http://ht.ly/RU24F

By: Jaime R Lopez², Pamela E Mukaire³ and Ronald H Mataya^1*

¹School of Public Health, Department of Global Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda 92354, California, USA

²School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Population Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA

³School of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion and Education, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA

How Should Network-Based Prevention for Homeless Youth Be Implemented?

Below:  Sociometric data on life-time methamphetamine use (in grey) among homeless youth, Holllywood, CA, 2008 (n = 136)

There is a great desire both among academics [2-11] and our community-based collaborators to utilize network-based prevention programs to reduce risk taking among homeless youth. This interest is driven by the relatively low cost of these programs, coupled with an understanding that such programs might engage homeless youth who are transient, hidden and distrustful of adults. This represents an exciting convergence around the desirability and probable acceptability of network based prevention. What remains unclear is how and with whom to implement these programs.

RAND present fascinating results indicating that opinion leaders and popular peers are among those with whom youth are most likely to drink and use drugs. RAND recognize the complexity of recruiting substance using opinion leaders for interventions to reduce substance use, but suggest that these peers may still be appropriate people to train as peer leaders. We respectfully question this interpretation. It is entirely possible that these popular and respected peers are popular and respected because of their participation in risky behaviors. Being popular and respected often requires adhering to the norms and values of a network—in this case a network for whom risk-taking is normative. Thus, it is possible that asking youth to curb or abandon risk behaviors could compromise the popularity and respect they hold. As an illustrative example, Fig. 1 shows that substance-using youth are not only popular within egocentric networks of youth (as RAND have shown), but also occupy central positions within sociometric networks of homeless youth, lending further evidence to the hypothesis that risky behavior might be an important component of popularity for homeless youth. Given the often tenuous nature of social standing among homeless youth, we are wary of the practical efficacy of attempting to change norms that may confer status among this population.

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