The relationship among acculturation-related variables, past sexual activity, and subsequent sexual behavior was examined for a sample of Latino youth in the United States over a 12-month period. A subsample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health database was analyzed by means of a prospective design. History of sexual intercourse predicted subsequent sexual behavior over the ensuing 12 months. The acculturation-related variables were related to whether an adolescent reported being sexually active at Wave 1 but in a complex fashion. Among recent immigrants, youth from English-speaking homes were less likely to be sexually active than those from Spanish-speaking homes. The opposite was observed for youth who were born in the United States or who had resided in the United States most of their lives. KeywordsLatino youth; sexual behavior; HIV risk behavior; acculturation Ethnic minorities have been affected disproportionately by the AIDS epidemic. In recent years, the proportion of new AIDS cases among Latinos in the United States has increased, while the proportion of AIDS cases among European Americans has decreased. The AIDS case rate among Latinos in 2000 was almost three times higher than that for European Americans. Sexual exposure is the primary route of infection for young people. Female adolescents and young women account for 58% of reported AIDS cases among 13-19-year-olds (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000). Most women and female adolescents are infected through heterosexual sex. Given the above facts, understanding the sexual behavior of Latino youth is important for developing prevention efforts. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptResearch suggests that for Latinos, many problem behaviors in general and sexual risk taking in particular are related to acculturation, or the extent to which Latinos have incorporated U.S. culture into their lives (Barnes, 1979). Acculturation stress theory suggests that when a member of a minority group is exposed to stressful situations (e.g., language difficulties, discrimination), there is increased vulnerability to maladaptive behavior. This is especially true when there are few personal resources (e.g., financial and social supports) to moderate the effects of those stressors (Vega, Zimmerman, Gil, Warheit, & Apospori, 1993). Research on acculturation has yielded inconsistent results in the prediction of adolescent problem behaviors (Rogler, Cortes, & Malgady, 1991). Some studies suggest that individuals who are highly acculturated tend to exhibit less involvement in problem behavior (Salgado de Snyder, 1987;Yu & Harburg, 1981). Other studies suggest the opposite, with higher levels of acculturation being associated with higher rates of problem behavior, such as suicide attempts and psychiatric illness (Burnham, Hough, Karno, Escobar, & Telles, 1987;Sorenson & Golding, 1988). Further studies suggest a curvilinear relationship, in which moderate levels of acculturation are associated with ...
Latinos are the largest and fastest growing minority youth group in the United States. Currently, Latino adolescents experience higher rates of teen pregnancy compared to any other racial or ethnic group and have disproportionately high levels of sexually transmitted infections and HIV. Latino teens are also affected by a number of social problems such as school dropout, poverty, depression and limited access to healthcare, which contributes to disparities in reproductive health outcomes for this population. Relatively few intervention research studies and programs have been dedicated to reducing sexual risk among Latino youth, despite their particular vulnerabilities in experiencing negative reproductive health outcomes. We provide recommendations for identifying the unique reproductive health needs of Latino youth and specific applied strategies so that agency-based social workers and other providers can develop family-based interventions that improve adolescent Latino sexual and reproductive health.
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