The longitudinal relationship between drug use and risky sexual behaviors among colombian adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To identify the longitudinal relationships between drug use and risky sexual behaviors and early pregnancy in Colombian adolescents. DESIGN: Confidential survey of adolescents, consisting of structured individual interviews, at 2 time points, 2 years apart. A standard self-report questionnaire was adapted to ensure linguistic and cultural relevance. SETTING: Community samples representing differing levels of risky sexual behavior and drug use. Cohorts were drawn from higher- and lower-risk geographic areas and from various self-reported ethnic groups. PARTICIPANTS: Adolescents (N = 2226) randomly selected from 3 major Colombian cities: Bogotá, Medellín, and Barranquilla. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were collected concerning adolescent drug use, sexual behaviors, and a history of pregnancy. The youths' drug use included measures of all illegal drugs. RESULTS: By using regression analyses (controlling for demographic variables) a reciprocal longitudinal relationship between risky sexual behaviors and drug use was identified. Those adolescents who reported higher levels of drug use at time 1 also had more sexual partners, had higher frequencies of unprotected sex, and were more likely to have experienced early pregnancy at time 2. The reverse relationship was true as well. The level of violence experienced by the adolescent emerged as a moderator of some of these relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing adolescent drug use may also reduce levels of risky sexual behavior and early pregnancy and vice versa. Furthermore, the importance of addressing violence as a risk factor for both problem behaviors is emphasized.     

Reported sexual behaviors and self-esteem among young adolescents

Six hundred seventy-seven adolescents in grades 7 through 9 of a blue-collar, midwestern junior high school responded to a survey of sexual behavior and self-esteem. The focus of this study was on the relationship between sexual experience and self-esteem. Fifty-five percent of the students reported having had at least one coital experience; 7% reported having intercourse about once a week. The proportion of sexually experienced adolescents increased with age; 28% of 12-year-olds, 52.7% of 13-year-olds, 60.1% of 14-year-olds, 73.6% of 15-year-olds, and 90% of 16-year-olds reported having intercourse on at least one occasion. More boys of all ages were sexually active than girls. Six percent of students had had, or were suspicious of having had, a sexually transmitted disease; 7.8% were involved in a pregnancy. The average of the self-esteem scores for girls was significantly lower than the average for boys. There was an interaction effect between gender and coital history for self-esteem. Girls who reported having had intercourse had lower self-esteem scores than those who did not. On the other hand, self-esteem of sexually experienced and inexperienced boys did not differ, nor did self-esteem of virginal boys and girls. Boys and girls with a history of sexually transmitted diseases had lower self-esteem than all others. Pregnancy, on the other hand, did not seem to affect self-esteem of the sexually experienced adolescents. This cross-sectional study does not permit determination of whether the lower average self-esteem among certain girls was antecedent to or a consequence of sexual experience.     

Rates and risk factors for sexual violence among an ethnically diverse sample of adolescents

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the occurrence of rape/attempted rape and verbal sexual coercion among an ethnically diverse adolescent population and to evaluate whether unique risk factors existed for victims of either type of forced sexual experience. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey assessing sexual violence within the past 12 months, behaviors that occurred on each subject's most recent date, and the occurrence of unwanted sexual experiences on any dates in the past year and details about that date. Subjects identified as experiencing either rape/attempted rape or verbal sexual coercion were compared with nonvictims using bivariate and multivariate analyses. SETTING: Urban adolescent health care facility. PARTICIPANTS: Female adolescents and young adults (n = 689) between the ages of 14 and 23 years who presented for care and met the eligibility criteria. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of young women reported having an unwanted sexual experience in the past year. The risk of rape/attempted rape was increased by past mild to moderate (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.27) or severe (AOR = 15.24) physical aggression by the dating partner; date-specific behaviors, including decreased level of romantic involvement (AOR = 0.63 per point decline) and going to the perpetrator's house to be alone (AOR = 3.01); past sexual victimization as an adolescent (AOR = 4.70); and lower levels of self-reported ethnic identity (AOR = 1.07 per point decline). More important, alcohol use by the victim or perpetrator was unrelated to an increased risk of rape/attempted rape. The risk of verbal sexual coercion was increased by past mild to moderate (AOR = 4.38) or severe (AOR = 13.79) verbal aggression from the dating partner; date-specific behaviors, including decreased level of romantic involvement (AOR = 0.70 per point decline) and greater number of past dates (AOR = 7.53); going to the perpetrator's house to be alone (AOR = 3.52); past sexual victimization as an adolescent (AOR = 9.83); pressures to use alcohol (AOR = 9.49); the victim not drinking alcohol during the date (AOR = 14.38); and increasing age discrepancy between victim and perpetrator (AOR = 1.23 per year increase). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 1 in 4 urban young women reported having experienced verbal sexual coercion or rape/attempted rape by a date or acquaintance in the past year. Distinct risk profiles for rape/attempted rape and verbal sexual coercion were identified when compared with those who did not report any victimization.     

The relationship between early age of onset of initial substance use and engaging in multiple health risk behaviors among young adolescents

BACKGROUND: Previous research based on problem-behavior theory has found that early age of onset of substance use is associated with engaging in multiple health risk behaviors among high school students. It is unknown whether these relationships begin during early adolescence. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between early age of onset of cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use and engaging in multiple risk behaviors among middle school students. METHODS: A modified version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to 2227 sixth through eighth grade students attending 53 randomly selected middle schools in North Carolina. A Health Risk Behavior Scale was constructed from 16 behaviors, including indicators of violence and weapon carrying; current substance use; nonuse of helmets when biking, in-line skating or skateboarding; not wearing a seat belt; riding with a driver who had been drinking; and suicide plans. Among this sample of middle school students, the scale had a mean (SD) of 4.1 (2.7) (range=O-15), and had a high internal reliability coefficient (alpha(=0.74). The independent variables included first time use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine at age 11 years or earlier; actual age of onset of each substance; race and ethnicity; family composition; sex; school grade; academic ranking; and older age for school grade. These data were analyzed with analysis of variance, Spearman r, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: All the independent variables were found to be associated (P<.005) with the Health Risk Behavior Scale during the bivariate analyses. When each of these significant variables were entered into a multiple regression model, having smoked at age 11 years or younger accounted for 21.9% of the variation in the Health Risk Behavior Scale. Male sex, early marijuana or cocaine use, older age, lower academic rank, white race, and living in a 1-parent family explained an additional 19.1% of variation in the model (adjusted R2=0.41, P<.001). When the actual ages of onset of the use of substances were analyzed, in order of magnitude; age of onset of smoking; male sex; age of onset of alcohol and marijuana use; age; lower academic ranking; age of onset of cocaine use; white race; and lower academic rating accounted for 52.8% (P<.001) of the variation in the Health Risk Behavior Scale. CONCLUSION: Even when considering sociodemographic factors, early age of onset of cigarette use was the strongest correlate of the number of health risk behaviors in which these young adolescents had engaged. Early onset of use of other substances was also associated with a clustering of health risk behaviors among this sample of middle school students. The findings suggest that screening for early experimentation with tobacco and other substance use will help identify young adolescents at increased risk for engaging in multiple health risk behaviors.     

Health-risk behaviors and health concerns among young adolescents.

This study examined the health concerns and behaviors of 563 adolescents (aged 11 through 14) from a variety of social, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. Behaviors associated with adolescent morbidity and mortality were examined, including sexual behavior, substance use, and injury-related behaviors. Although young adolescents are often viewed as unlikely participants in these risk behaviors, the results of this study suggest that greater attention should be paid to this younger group and their health-risk behaviors. A majority of the sample had tried alcohol and tobacco, and almost a third had used marijuana. Twenty-one percent were sexually active. Prevalence rates varied by social class, race-ethnicity, gender, and age. More than 75% of the sample had visited a physician during the prior year, suggesting an important role physicians may serve as sources of information and positive role models for these young adolescents. The results suggest that we stop viewing young adolescents as naive children and begin to view them as observers of and participants in a changing social environment that has important implications for their current and future health status. Without a realistic appraisal of the young adolescent, we can expect to have little overall effect on the status of adolescent health in the United States.     

Sexual orientation and risk of suicide attempts among a representative sample of youth.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether sexual orientation is an independent risk factor for reported suicide attempts. DESIGN: Data were from the Massachusetts 1995 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which included a question on sexual orientation. Ten drug use, 5 sexual behavior, and 5 violence/ victimization variables chosen a priori were assessed as possible mediating variables. Hierarchical logistic regression models determined independent predictors of suicide attempts. SETTING: Public high schools in Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS: Representative, population-based sample of high school students. Three thousand three hundred sixty-five (81%) of 4167 responded to both the suicide attempt and sexual orientation questions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Self-reported suicide attempt in the past year. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-nine students (3.8%) self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or not sure of their sexual orientation (GLBN). Gender, age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and all 20 health-risk behaviors were associated with suicide attempt (P<.001). Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or not sure youth were 3.41 times more likely to report a suicide attempt. Based on hierarchical logistic regression, female gender (odds ratio [OR], 4.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.30-5.93), GLBN orientation (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.39-3.37), Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.44-3.99), higher levels of violence/ victimization (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.80-2.36), and more drug use (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.22-1.41) were independent predictors of suicide attempt (P<.001). Gender-specific analyses for predicting suicide attempts revealed that among males the OR for GLBN orientation increased (OR, 3.74; 95% CI, 1.92-7.28), while among females GLBN orientation was not a significant predictor of suicide. CONCLUSIONS: Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or not sure youth report a significantly increased frequency of suicide attempts. Sexual orientation has an independent association with suicide attempts for males, while for females the association of sexual orientation with suicidality may be mediated by drug use and violence/victimization behaviors.     

Nondisclosure of sexual orientation to a physician among a sample of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth

BACKGROUND: The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Society for Adolescent Medicine recommend discussing sexual orientation as part of the health supervision of all adolescents. Little is known about whether lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth hide their orientation from health care providers, which can potentially lead to missed opportunities in identifying individual health risks and provide appropriate screening and counseling. OBJECTIVES: To describe the health care experiences of a nonclinical sample of LGB youth and identify factors associated with disclosure and nondisclosure of orientation to physicians. DESIGN: Community-based participatory study using a self-administered questionnaire. SETTING: Los Angeles youth empowerment conference held in October 2003 targeting high school-aged LGB youth. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty-one youth aged 14 to 18 years who identified themselves as LGB. Main Outcome Measure Physician's knowledge of participant's sexual orientation. RESULTS: Thirty-five percent of the sample reported that their physician knew they were LGB. Bisexual youth were less likely than gay and lesbian youth to have disclosed. The strongest predictor of disclosure was having discussed sex or sexual health of any kind with a physician (odds ratio, 15.47; 95% confidence interval, 4.34-55.18). When asked what a physician could do to make talking about being LGB more comfortable, 64% of participants chose the survey response, "Just ask me." CONCLUSIONS: Even among a nonclinical sample of LGB youth who were open enough about their orientation to attend a conference on the subject, only 35% reported that their physician knew their orientation. The results indicate that physicians had not discussed sexuality with most LGB youth in the study and that most youth would welcome such a discussion.     

Parent-adolescent communication and sexual risk behaviors among African American adolescent females

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between parent-adolescent communication about sex-related topics and the sex-related communication and practices of African American adolescent females with partners, as well as their perceived ability to negotiate safer sex. DESIGN: A theory-guided survey and structured interview were administered to 522 sexually active African American females 14 to 18 years old. Recruitment sites were neighborhoods with high rates of unemployment, substance abuse, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases. Multivariate analyses, controlling for observed covariates, were used to identify the association of less frequent parent-adolescent communication with multiple assessed outcomes. RESULTS: Less frequent parent-adolescent communication (scores below the median) was associated with adolescents' non-use of contraceptives in the past 6 months (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.7) and non-use of contraceptives during the last 5 sexual encounters (AOR = 1.6). Less communication increased the odds of never using condoms in the past month (AOR = 1.6), during the last 5 sexual encounters (AOR = 1.7), and at last intercourse (AOR = 1.7). Less communication was also associated with less communication between adolescents and their sex partners (AOR = 3.3) and lower self-efficacy to negotiate safer sex (AOR = 1.8). CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate the importance of involving parents in human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy prevention efforts directed at female adolescents. Pediatricians and other clinicians can play an important role in facilitating parent-adolescent communication about sexual activity.     

Loneliness and associated factors among Brazilian adolescents: results of national adolescent school-based health survey 2015

ObjectiveTo identify the associated factors to loneliness among Brazilian adolescents, considering this is a knowledge gap and given its severity. The United Nations estimates that mental health problems affect approximately 20% of adolescents worldwide.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study with data from the National Adolescent School-based Health Survey 2015, conducted with students aged 13-17 in Brazil. The statistical analysis was performed with the calculation of the prevalence of feeling loneliness reported. Poisson regression with the adjusted Prevalence Ratio was used to evaluate the association between sociodemographic characteristics, family context, mental health and lifestyles, and feelings of loneliness.Results15,5% of Brazilian students reported loneliness in the last 12 months. Female gender, higher maternal education, insomnia and be bullying victims rarely or sometimes and most of the time or always had a higher prevalence rate of loneliness. Having friends, having a meal with parents or guardians 5 days or more a week and having understanding parents showed a lower prevalence ratio for loneliness.ConclusionLoneliness feeling is frequent among adolescents and is associated with female gender, less social and family support, intra-family violence and risk behaviors such as alcohol consumption and bullying. Policies to promote physical and mental well-being in this age group, stimulating friendship and family participation in the lives of adolescents should be made .     

Teen sexting and its association with sexual behaviors

OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence of sexting behaviors as well as their relation to dating, sex, and risky sexual behaviors using a large school-based sample of adolescents. DESIGN Data are from time 2 of a 3-year longitudinal study. Participants self-reported their history of dating, sexual behaviors, and sexting (sent, asked, been asked, and/or bothered by being asked to send nude photographs of themselves). SETTING Seven public high schools in southeast Texas. PARTICIPANTS A total of 948 public high school students (55.9% female) participated. The sample consisted of African American (26.6%), white (30.3%), Hispanic (31.7%), Asian (3.4%), and mixed/other (8.0%) teens. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Having ever engaged in sexting behaviors. RESULTS Twenty-eight percent of the sample reported having sent a naked picture of themselves through text or e-mail (sext), and 31% reported having asked someone for a sext. More than half (57%) had been asked to send a sext, with most being bothered by having been asked. Adolescents who engaged in sexting behaviors were more likely to have begun dating and to have had sex than those who did not sext (all P?<?.001). For girls, sexting was also associated with risky sexual behaviors. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that teen sexting is prevalent and potentially indicative of teens' sexual behaviors. Teen-focused health care providers should consider screening for sexting behaviors to provide age-specific education about the potential consequences of sexting and as a mechanism for discussing sexual behaviors.     

Short-term effects of school-based weight gain prevention among adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a multicomponent health promotion intervention for Dutch adolescents would be successful in influencing body composition and aerobic fitness. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Ten intervention and 8 control prevocational secondary schools. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 978 adolescents (mean age, 12.7 years). INTERVENTION: An interdisciplinary multicomponent intervention program with an adapted curriculum for 11 biology and physical education lessons and environmental change options, including additional lessons on physical education and advice on the school canteen selection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body height and weight, hip and waist circumference, 4 skinfold thickness measurements, and aerobic fitness. RESULTS: Multilevel analyses showed significant differences in changes after the 8-month intervention period in favor of the intervention group with regard to hip circumference (mean difference, 0.53 cm; 95% confidence interval, 0.07 to 0.98) and sum of skinfolds among girls (mean difference, -2.31 mm; 95% confidence interval, -4.34 to -0.28). In boys, the intervention resulted in a significant difference in waist circumference (mean difference, -0.57 cm; 95% confidence interval, -1.10 to -0.05). No significant intervention effects were found related to aerobic fitness. CONCLUSIONS: The multicomponent Dutch Obesity Intervention in Teenagers program positively influenced several measures of body composition among both girls and boys. Our results indicate that secondary prevocational school curriculum changes may contribute to excessive weight gain prevention among adolescents.     

青少年24小时活动与心理健康研究的范围综述

背景：由于睡眠、久坐行为和身体活动所构成的24 h活动与青少年心理健康关系的研究异质性极大等局限,难以得出足以指导临床实践的高质量证据集合。目的：总结儿童青少年24 h活动（睡眠、久坐行为和身体活动）与心理健康关系的研究现状及其研究设计存在的问题并进行评价,为后续研究提供参考。设计：范围综述。方法：检索PubMed、Embase、Web of Science和中国知网数据库,检索时间为建库至2022年9月28日,以睡眠、久坐行为、身体活动、24 h活动、心理健康、青少年为检索词构建中英文检索式,纳入健康儿童青少年人群的24 h活动类型与心理健康之间的相关性或因果推断的研究。通过阅读文题、摘要和全文进行筛选,在数据提取和数据整合中,逐渐完善活动类型、测量方式、测量项目分类、测量具体项目的数据提取表格。主要结局指标：青少年24 h活动和心理健康关系的研究类型及其测量工具。结果：中英文数据库共检索到927篇文献,经去重、初筛和全文筛选后,最终纳入55篇文献,其中横断面研究45篇（82%）,前瞻性队列研究10篇。睡眠：54篇描述了睡眠时长,4篇评估了睡眠质量、睡眠潜伏期、日间嗜睡情况和睡眠中断情况。久坐行为：50篇为主观报告,5篇为客观报告,46篇涉及屏幕暴露。身体活动：主观报告和客观评估中高强度身体活动时间分别为47篇和8篇。32篇文献关注了抑郁,9篇关注了焦虑,5篇关注了压力,35篇关注了其他心理健康结局（正性情绪、行为问题、生活满意度或健康相关生命质量、心理疾病及症状、情绪调节能力和手机成瘾）。44篇文献探索24 h活动与心理健康的相关性,8篇文献使用等时替代模型探索24 h活动结构的改变,3篇探索24 h活动影响心理健康的中介因素。结论：青少年24 h活动与心理健康的关联研究尚少,所使用的测量工具有待规范统一,未来需针对现行24 h活动推荐时间建立等时替代模型或在真实世界进行干预研究,寻找既能够最大发挥24 h活动的健康效应,又能够让青少年人容易达到的24 h活动时间的推荐组合。