Social and behavioral factors associated with high-risk

sexual behavior among adolescents

Journal Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Publisher Springer Netherlands
ISSN 0160-7715 (Print) 1573-3521 (Online)
Issue Volume 13, Number 3 / June, 1990
DOI 10.1007/BF00846833
Pages 245-261
Subject CollectionBehavioral Science
SpringerLink DateTuesday, December 28, 2004

Social and behavioral factors associated with high-risk sexual behavior among adolescents

Anthony Biglan1, Carol W. Metzler1, Roger Wirt1, Dennis Ary1, John Noell1, Linda Ochs1,
Christine French1 and Don Hood1

(1) Oregon Research Institute, 1899 Willamette Street, 97401 Eugene, Oregon

Accepted: 8 October 1988

Abstract Relationships among risky sexual behaviors, other problem behaviors, and the family
and peer context were examined for two samples of adolescents. Many adolescents reported
behaviors (e.g., promiscuity or nonuse of condoms) which risked HIV or other sexually
transmitted disease infection. Such risky behaviors were significantly intercorrelated. Consistent
condom use was rare among those whose behavior otherwise entailed the greatest risk of
infection. In both samples, an index of high-risk sexual behavior was significantly related to
antisocial behavior, cigarette smoking, and illicit drug or alcohol use. Social context variables,
including family structure, parenting practices, and friends'' engagement in problem behaviors,
were associated with high-risk sexual behavior. Finally, for sexually active adolescents, problem
behaviors and social context variables were predictive of nonuse of condoms. Results were
consistent across the two studies and regression weights held up well under cross-validation.

Key words HIV infection - sexual behavior - adolescence - alcohol - drug use - smoking
The social context for risky sexual behavior among
adolescents
Journal Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Publisher Springer Netherlands
ISSN 0160-7715 (Print) 1573-3521 (Online)
Issue Volume 17, Number 4 / August, 1994
DOI 10.1007/BF01858012
Pages 419-438
Subject CollectionBehavioral Science
SpringerLink DateFriday, July 01, 2005

The social context for risky sexual behavior among adolescents

Carol W. Metzler1, John Noell1, Anthony Biglan1, Dennis Ary1 and Keith Smolkowski1

(1) Oregon Research Institute, 1899 Willamette Avenue, 97401 Eugene, Oregon

Accepted: 3 February 1994

Abstract This study supports a model of adolescents' risky sexual behavior in which this
behavior is seen as a product of the same peer and family factors which influence a wide range of
problem behaviors. The Pattersonet al. (1992) model of peer and parental factors associated with
adolescents' sexual risk-taking behavior was tested on three independent samples of adolescents,
ages 14 through 18. Adolescents whose peers were reported to engage in diverse problem
behaviors were more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Poor parental monitoring and
parent-child coercive interactions were associated having deviant peers, and poor parental
monitoring also had a direct relationship to risky sexual behavior. Family involvement was
associated with fewer parent-child coercive interactions. Less availability of parental figures in
the family was directly associated with risky sexual behavior and was also associated with poorer
parental monitoring.

Key Words sexually transmitted disease infection - risky sexual behavior - adolescents
family - peers
Motivations for sex and risky sexual behavior among
adolescents and young adults: a functional perspective.
Cooper ML, Shapiro CM, Powers AM.

Department of Psychology, University of Missouri at Columbia 65211, USA.

cooperm@missouri.edu

The implications of a functionalist perspective for understanding sexual risk taking are explored.
Key motivational dimensions thought to underlie human behavior (viz., approach vs. avoidance,
autonomy vs. relatedness) were used to identify 4 broad domains of sexual motivations and to
develop a measure of specific motives within each of these domains. Data from both college
student and community samples are used to demonstrate the psychometric adequacy of these
scales and to show that having sex for different reasons predicts distinctive patterns of sexual risk
taking both cross-sectionally and longitudinally: that selection into specific types of sexual
relationships partially mediates these effects; and that these needs may be differentially
expressed, or even suppressed, depending on relationship context. Results provide strong support
for the functionalist perspective on behavior and indicate that an adequate understanding of
sexual risk-taking behavior must take into account the various needs and goals that such behavior
can serve.

PIP: Despite knowing how HIV is transmitted, many young people still engage in HIV/AIDS risk
behavior. The implications of a functionalist perspective for understanding such sexual risk-
taking are explored. Key motivational dimensions thought to underlie human behavior were used
to identify 4 broad domains of sexual motivation and develop a measure of specific motives
within each domain. Data from both college student and community samples are used to
demonstrate the psychometric adequacy of these scales and that having sex for different reasons
predicts distinctive patterns of sexual risk-taking both cross-sectionally and longitudinally; that
selection into specific types of sexual relationships partially mediates those effects; and that those
needs may be differentially expressed, or even suppressed, depending upon relationship context.
Strong support is provided for the functionalist perspective on behavior and indicates that an
adequate understanding of sexual risk-taking must consider the various needs and goals which
such behavior can serve.