The purpose of this study was to explore the use of social media within the context of heterosexual Black teen girls’ romantic partner selection processes. To better understand Black teen girls’ experiences, five focus groups ( N = 27; aged 14–18 years) were conducted over Zoom. An inductive thematic analysis revealed four major themes: (1) the use of different platforms to gather different types of information, (2) the rules of social media scouting, (3) detecting partner qualities through social media, and (4) exploring Black teen girls’ experience with social media and dating. Participants in our study primarily used Instagram to understand a potential partner’s true self, while Twitter was used to assess a potential partner’s political leanings. Our participants shared numerous “rules” related to the partner-scouting process. Black teen girls in our study explained that photos index a potential partner’s style and hygiene, while memes were used to gauge sense of humor compatibility. More specific to Black teen girls, across all focus groups, participants shared their experiences of racism and bias, such as being associated with Black stereotypes, cultural invalidation, and being accused of “acting White.” Although teen girls of various racial and ethnic groups may use social media to vet romantic partners, findings reveal that Black teen girls navigate social media in a unique way, including being highly attuned to signs of bias. Our findings suggest that in the first few months of COVID-19 social distancing had little impact on our participant’s practice of using social media to vet potential romantic partners.
Gendered racism can impact how Black teen girls perceive themselves in relation to the world and influence their behaviors. This form of discrimination tends to manifest in stereotypes that promote the victimization and mistreatment of Black teen girls. This qualitative study, using Black feminist thought through a Black Girlhood lens as a guiding framework, aims to understand how Black teen girls are affected by gendered-racist stereotypes and how these stereotypes impact sexual decision making among this group. Using a sample of ( N = 27) Black teen girls, three major themes arose: (1) experiencing the effects of racist-sexist stereotypes, (2) feeling powerless and invisible due to stereotypes, and (3) navigating the pressure to have sex due to stereotypes. Implications for this study include incorporating elements of Black Feminist Thought through a Black girlhood lens within prevention programing while also providing Black teen girls with the tools to challenge negative stereotypes with support from adult allies in school and family settings.
Background Black adolescent girls aged between 14 and 19 years are more likely than White girls to be diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI). As STI diagnosis is associated with an increase in the risk for HIV acquisition, an early intervention specifically tailored to Black adolescent girls is warranted. A web-based video game intervention has the potential to reach this demographic. Because studies of social and behavioral determinants of disease demonstrate the protective role of peer group structures on individual outcomes, a multiplayer game can facilitate opportunities to exchange and evaluate information, learn social norms, develop behavioral skills, and allow peers to influence attitudes and behavior. No prior research has examined the feasibility of a web-based multiplayer game intervention for this population. Objective This study describes the protocol for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) pilot-testing the feasibility, acceptability, and limited efficacy of a multiplayer game–based intervention for increasing HIV and STI testing and condom use in Black adolescent girls. Methods We enrolled 79 Black adolescent girls aged 14 to 19 years residing in the United States into a 2-arm parallel RCT. The intervention is a theory-based, community-informed, multiplayer game that can be played with peers on the web using videoconferencing software. The goal of the game is to empower Black adolescent girls to make healthy decisions regarding dating, relationships, and sex, thus reducing HIV and STI infection. Control condition participants received a list of resources after playing a time and attention control game. All study procedures were conducted via the internet. We conveniently sampled Black adolescent girls using web-based advertisements. Study assessments occurred at enrollment, 1 week, 1 month, and 4 months after enrollment. The primary outcome of this study is increased HIV and STI testing by Black adolescent girls. Secondary outcomes include increased condom use, self-efficacy to use condoms, positive attitudes toward condom use, intentions, harm perceptions, HIV and STI and pre-exposure prophylaxis knowledge, positive sexual norms, sexual communication with partners, and reduced incidence of sexual risk behaviors associated with HIV and STI transmission. Secondary outcomes also included assessment of intervention feasibility and acceptability. Results From February to April 2022, a total of 79 Black adolescent girls were enrolled, with 40 (51%) having been randomized into the intervention condition and 39 (49%) into the control condition. At baseline, participant ages ranged from 14 to 19 (mean 16.4, SD 1.23) years. Conclusions Web-accessible game interventions overcome common impediments of face-to-face interventions presenting a unique opportunity to reach Black adolescent girls and improve their sexual health and self-efficacy. Trial data will provide information about the limited efficacy of the intervention and inform future web-based studies and a larger RCT aimed at improving the sexual health of Black adolescent girls. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04108988; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04108988 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/43666
BACKGROUND Black adolescent girls between the ages of 14 and 19 years are more than twice as likely than White girls to be diagnosed with an STI. Since STI diagnosis is associated with a two- to fivefold increase in the risk for HIV acquisition, an early intervention specifically tailored to Black adolescent girls is warranted. One possible way to reach this demographic is through a web-based videogame intervention. Since studies of social and behavioral determinants of disease have recently demonstrated the protective role of peer group structures on individual outcomes, a multiplayer game can facilitate opportunities the exchange and evaluation of information, the learning of social norms, the development of behavioral skills, and allow peers to influence each other’s attitudes and behaviors within the context of the game. Although a multiplayer videogame intervention offers a promising strategy for reaching Black adolescent girls, no prior research has examined the feasibility of a web-based multiplayer game intervention for this population. OBJECTIVE This study describes the protocol for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) pilot testing the feasibility, acceptability, and limited efficacy of a multiplayer game-based intervention for increasing HIV/STI testing and condom use in Black adolescent girls. METHODS We enrolled 79 Black adolescent girls aged 14 to 19 years residing in the United States into a 2-arm parallel RCT. The intervention is a theory-based, community-informed, multiplayer game that can be played with peers online using video conferencing software. The goal of the game is to empower Black adolescent girls to make healthy decisions regarding dating, relationships, and sex thus reducing HIV/STI infection. Control condition participants received a list of resources after playing a time-attention controlled game. Notably, all study procedures were conducted via the internet. We conveniently sampled Black adolescent girls using Web-based advertisements. Study assessments occurred at enrollment, 1-week following enrolment, 1 month after enrollment, and 4 months after enrollment. The primary outcome of this study is increased HIV/STI testing by Black adolescent girls. Secondary outcomes include increased condom use, self-efficacy to use condoms, positive attitudes toward condom use, intentions, harm perceptions, HIV/STI and PrEP knowledge, positive sexual norms, sexual communication with partners, and reduced incidence of sexual risk behaviors associated with HIV/STI transmission. Secondary outcomes also included assessment of intervention feasibility and acceptability. RESULTS From February to April 2022, 79 Black adolescent girls were enrolled, with 40 randomized into the intervention condition and 39 into the control condition. At baseline, participant ages ranged from 14 to 19 years (M = 16.4, SD = 1.23). CONCLUSIONS Web-accessible game interventions overcome common impediments of face-to-face interventions and present a unique opportunity to reach Black adolescent girls and improve their sexual health and self-efficacy. This trial will provide data on the limited efficacy of the intervention and will inform future web-based studies and a larger RCT aimed at improving the sexual health of Black adolescent girls. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04108988; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04108988
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.