Sexual Risk Behavior and STI Contraction Among Young Women With Prior Juvenile Justice Involvement

Abstract

Girls in the juvenile justice system are at increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. Sexual risk behavior was examined in 166 females with juvenile justice involvement who were followed from adolescence to young adulthood. Results indicated that childhood sexual abuse increased the incidence of unsafe sex during young adulthood, which was subsequently associated with contraction of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Further, girls’ comfort in talking with their partners about safer sex practices during adolescence moderated the association between childhood sexual abuse and unsafe sex, such that girls who had been sexually abused and were uncomfortable talking to their partners about safer sex during adolescence had an 8.5-fold increase in unsafe sex in young adulthood. The identification of behaviors amenable to intervention in the prevention of HIV/AIDS risk in this high-risk population is discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• girls
• juvenile justice
• partner communication
• sexual risk behavior
• STI

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Brandon Gibson for assistance with data management, Priscilla Havlis for oversight of the young adult assessment, Gordon Harold for statistical consultation, and the young women who volunteered to participate in this research.