Use your browser's BACK button to return to your page of origin.
Psychosocial and behavioral correlates of refusing unwanted sex
among African-American adolescent females.
Journal of Adolescent Health 2002; 30:55-63.
Sionéan C, DiClemente RJ, Wingood GM, et al.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To identify psychosocial and behavioral correlates of refusing unwanted
sex among African-American female adolescents. We hypothesized that greater
power in relationships, less concern about negative emotional consequences,
supportive family and peers, positive self-perceptions, greater perceived
risk, and fewer sexual risk behaviors would be associated with increased
odds of refusing unwanted sex. METHODS: Data regarding demographics, sexual
behaviors, communication with parents, and psychosocial factors relevant
to romantic and sexual partnerships were collected both via self-administered
questionnaire and structured interview from a clinic- and school-based sample
of 522 African-American adolescent females ages 14-18 years in Birmingham,
Alabama. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression.
RESULTS: Of those who had experienced pressure for unwanted sex (n = 366),
69% consistently refused to engage in unwanted sex. Adolescents with high
safer sex self-efficacy and low perceived partner-related barriers (i.e.,
concerns about partners' negative emotional reactions) to condom negotiation
were over 2.5 times more likely to consistently refuse unwanted sex than
were those reporting low safer sex self-efficacy and high partner-related
barriers. Adolescents who spoke more frequently with their parents about
sexual issues were nearly twice as likely to consistently refuse unwanted
sex than were those who spoke less frequently with their parents. CONCLUSIONS:
Sexual-risk reduction efforts directed toward adolescent females should seek
to build self-efficacy to negotiate safer sex and provide training in social
competency skills that may help to reduce or eliminate partner barriers to
condom use. Further, sexual risk-reduction programs may be more effective
if they include parents as advocates of safer sexual behaviors.
