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  • Title: Risky sex behavior and substance use among young adults.
    Author: Staton M, Leukefeld C, Logan TK, Zimmerman R, Lynam D, Milich R, Martin C, McClanahan K, Clayton R.
    Journal: Health Soc Work; 1999 May; 24(2):147-54. PubMed ID: 10340165.
    Abstract:
    Many young adults, despite widespread prevention and education efforts that target this age group, engage in behaviors that place them at risk of HIV infection. These behaviors include frequent experimentation with alcohol and other drugs before sex, sexual activity with different partners, and inconsistent safe-sex practices. The combination of these risky behaviors causes increased concern about the spread of HIV among this age group. The study discussed in this article examined the relationship between substance use during adolescence and HIV risk behavior among young adults ages 19 to 21 with and without a college education. Results indicated that increased use of alcohol and marijuana at younger ages is related to riskier sexual activity and increased use of alcohol and marijuana as young adults. Recommendations for interventions are made. A mailed survey was conducted to assess the risky sexual behavior and substance abuse among an initial sample of 2071 young adults in Lexington, Kentucky, during the 1987-88 school year. The survey included specific items about peer relations, family attachment, self-esteem, sensation seeking, friends' drug use, impulsivity, physical health, health and mental health utilization, dieting, delinquency, violence, and risky sexual behavior. A total of 952 (400 males and 552 females) respondents were included in the final analysis. The findings indicate that earlier initiation of sexual activity is related to early involvement with drugs. Furthermore, male participants who used alcohol or marijuana at a younger age engaged in riskier sexual behavior than female participants. Female participants were more likely to use condoms regardless of their early substance use patterns; and those who had never experienced sex or who initiated sex later (ages 19 or 20) were less likely to report lifetime or current drug use. This study indicated that there is a relationship between the early occurrence of substance use and riskier sexual behavior. Recognizing the use of alcohol or marijuana during adolescence may raise practitioners' awareness, helping them identify HIV risk behavior among young adults more accurately.
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