Associations between ethnic identity commitment, discrimination, and sexism with sexual risk among Latina college students.

Abstract

According to intersectionality theory, oppression predisposes individuals from disadvantaged groups to experience disparities in health. Such disparities are evident in the sexual health among college-aged Latina women living in the U.S., who tend to report significantly higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies than their White peers. Guided by intersectionality theory, the present study examined sexual risk behaviors (i.e., inconsistent condom use, number of sexual partners) in relation to ethnic identity development and reported experiences of discrimination and sexism among 450 Latina college students (ages 18–26 years old). Notably, results indicated that Latinas who reported relatively lower levels of ethnic identity commitment had, on average, approximately five more sexual partners when they had reported greater lifetime experiences of sexism. Findings highlight how sexist experiences contributed to an increased number of partners among Latinas reporting relatively lower levels of ethnic identity commitment, demonstrating that strong ethnic identity commitment was protective against risk in accordance with past research. Results indicate a continued need for sexual health interventions with Latina college students.

Hostile Sexism Predicts Negative Attitudes Toward Condom Use

“…Whether significant or not, in women, all the relationships between sexism and attitudes toward condom use or condom-related variables were low, except for attitudes and stigma associated with condom users, where in some cases, they were moderate. Other recent studies (Ertl et al, 2022;Ramiro-Sa´nchez et al, 2018) also found a weak association between sexism and condom use in women. Therefore, if the goal of interventions is exclusively to reduce risky sexual behaviors, it does not seem clear that an intervention aimed at reducing sexism in women will improve this aspect (Haberland & Rogow, 2015;Ubillos-Landa et al, 2021).…”