Having “The Talk”: Individual, Family, and Partner Factors on Unprotected Sex among Female Adolescent Offenders

Abstract

This study assessed the influence of individual age and substance use, family support and communication, and partner support and communication on the frequency of unprotected sex among incarcerated adolescent females. Subjects (n = 273) completed a survey on psychosocial correlates and risk behaviors for sexually transmitted infections (STI). Communication with male partners and sex while under the influence have a significant impact on condom use. Findings highlight the necessity of providing assertive communication skills training and increasing self-efficacy as STI/HIV prevention components for adolescent females thus empowering their decision-making processes.

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this article was presented at the 2008 International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Mexico.

Notes

N = 273 (p for one-tailed test in parentheses).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S. Lynne Rich

S. LYNNE RICH is an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Arkansas in the Department of Sociology. Her recent research focuses on the impact of abuse trauma on alcohol and drug use and risky sex behavior of adolescent girls. Other work within gender and family includes the impact of China's one-child policy on educational opportunities for girls, determinants of family life satisfaction, and marital instability in Asian societies. Dr. Rich's research has been published in Gender and Society, Global Studies Journal, and the International Journal of Comparative Sociology.

Angela A. Robertson

ANGELA A. ROBERTSON is an Associate Director and Research Professor at the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University. She has been conducting research on issues of adolescent deviance and health since 1994. She has received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to conduct studies of sexual risk behavior among substance abusing juvenile offenders and drug court participants and to develop and test behavioral interventions for these populations. She is currently involved in an implementation study of evidence-based assessment, prevention, and treatment practices for adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system. Her research has been widely published.

Janet K. Wilson

JANET K. WILSON is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Central Arkansas. Her current research focuses on the impact of abuse trauma on high-risk girls, as well as domestic violence within Bangladesh. Her work has appeared in the American Sociological Review, Sociological Inquiry, and Health Care for Women International. She was editor of The Praeger Handbook of Victimology.