“I'm not Gonna Die Because of an STD”: Female African American Adolescents' Perspectives on how they Protected Themselves from Sexual Risks While in Foster Care

Ross, Christina; Kools, Susan

doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2020.10.007

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 31 publications

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“…As in other studies of adolescents in the child welfare system [8,25,30], boys appear to make greater regular use of male and female condoms and withdrawal, whereas girls make greater use of oral contraceptive pills and longer-acting contraceptives compared with boys. This shows, once again, the greater vulnerability of girls to contracting STIs [56], but it is also a reflection of the lack of sexual assertiveness they often exhibit, which increases their risk of teen dating violence [57]. Age was also shown to be a significant variable in the use of male condoms and longer-acting contraceptives, with the use of these contraceptive methods becoming more common with the increasing age of the participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Health among Youth in Residential Care in Spain: Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors

Fernández-García

Gil‐Llario

Ballester‐Arnal

2022

IJERPH

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Adolescents in the child welfare system often face multiple maladaptive experiences that predispose them to worse sexual health outcomes. This study aims to (1) describe the sexual health of adolescents in Spanish residential care by exploring their sexual knowledge, attitudes toward sexuality, and sexual behaviors and (2) to find out whether there are certain characteristics that make a subgroup particularly vulnerable to engaging in risky sexual behaviors. A total of 346 adolescents recruited from 47 Spanish residential care facilities (34.1% girls, 65.9% boys) aged between 11 and 19 years old completed some self-report instruments. Descriptive analyses and tests to prove gender and age differences were conducted. Their knowledge of sexuality was lower than observed in the general adolescent population, their attitudes more negative, and their tendency to engage in risky sexual behaviors higher. Girls made very infrequent use of condoms, while boys had more sexist attitudes and made habitual use of withdrawal. Although more than 20% of them had experienced sexual exchange activities before the age of 13 until 17, they did not use condoms systematically. The low level of knowledge, the early initiation of sexual exchange activities, and the scarce use of protection methods, together with sexist attitudes, place this group in a situation of great vulnerability, increasing the risk of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and even teen dating violence.

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