Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms
Conditions
Keywords
adolescent couple decision-making, parenting practices, sexual risk behavior
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to understand the factors that lead to adolescent sexual risk behavior by investigating both the family contexts and romantic relationships that influence adolescent couples' decision-making.
Detailed description
In the United States, inner-city African American and Latino youth are vulnerable to the negative consequences of sexual risk behavior. Despite the fact that sexual risk behavior is a dyadic behavior, almost all of the social-cognitive theories emphasize individual-based variables to explain behavior. Little research has studied both members of an adolescent couple or has used measures from each member to predict future sexual activity of that dyad. The overall aim of the present study is to identify explanatory models of couple sexual risk behavior among a sample of unmarried, non co-habiting Latino and African American high school-aged dyads that are romantically linked. In addition, the present research also will study the parents of adolescent couples. In doing so, the present research will apply theories of cognition, emotion and emotion regulation, and a new theory of parental monitoring to the study of adolescent sexual risk behavior among couples.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
New York University
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
17 Years to 19 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adolescents must be between the ages of 17-19 * Adolescents must currently reside in the Bronx, New York * Adolescents must be of Latino or African American descent * Adolescents must identify as being currently involved in romantic relationship * Adolescent and parent must both agree to being a participant * Adolescent and parent must be able to participate in questionnaire activities
Exclusion criteria
* Any cognitive or psychiatric disability that would prevent successful participation of adolescent or parent in questionnaire activities
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence of vaginal intercourse with romantic partner | Baseline | Number of times ever had vaginal intercourse with current romantic partner |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence of oral sex with romantic partner | Baseline | Number of times has ever given/received oral sex with current romantic partner |
| Frequency of condom use for oral sex with romantic partner | Baseline | Of number of times has ever had oral sex with current romantic partner, number of times used a condom |
| Frequency of condom use during vaginal intercourse with romantic partner | Baseline | Of the number of times participant has ever had vaginal sex with romantic partner, number of times used a condom |
| Frequency of condom use for anal intercourse with romantic partner | Baseline | Of times has ever had anal intercourse with current romantic partner, number of times used a condom |
| Incidence of vaginal intercourse romantic partner | 6 Months Follow-up | Number of times ever had vaginal intercourse with current romantic partner |
| Incidence of anal intercourse with current romantic partner | Baseline | Number of times has ever had anal intercourse with current romantic partner |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed