Interpersonal Competence and Sex Risk Behaviours among Jamaican Adolescents

Longman-Mills, Samantha; Carpenter, Kimberly L. H.

doi:10.7727/wimj.2013.061

Cited by 5 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Young persons in Jamaica are at risk for unintended pregnancies and contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). [1,2] This risk is fueled by a variety of factors, including unprotected sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, substance use, and early age at sexual initiation. [3,4] According to data from the most recent Jamaica Reproductive Health Survey (2008), as many as 62% of adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 19 years were sexually experienced, and 23% reported having had sex before age 15 years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[4] The latter percentage is even higher among adolescents in communities such as Kingston, the capital, where as many as 41% of males and females aged 14 years are sexually active. [2] In addition to early age at sexual initiation, young persons in Jamaica engage in risky sexual practices. For example, 16% of persons aged 15 to 24 years in the Reproductive Health Survey reported using alcohol during their most recent sexual intercourse[4] Additionally, a recent study reported that 47.5% of sexually active Jamaicans between the ages of 15 and 19 years used condoms inconsistently, and 38% (12% of females, 52% of males) had more than 1 sexual partner within the past year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Age at Sexual Initiation and Sexual and Health Risk Behaviors Among Jamaican Adolescents and Young Adults

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Current policies limit access to sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents younger than 16 years in Jamaica. Using data from a national survey, we explored the relationship between age at sexual initiation and subsequent sexual risk behaviors in a random sample of 837 Jamaican adolescents and young adults aged 15-24 years. In the sample overall, 21.0% had not yet had sex. Among the 661 sexually active participants, the mean age at first sex was 14.7 years. High percentages of sexually active youth reported engaging in risk behaviors such as inconsistent condom use (58.8%), multiple sex partners (44.5%), and transactional sex (43.0%). Age of sexual initiation for males was unrelated to subsequent sexual risk behaviors. However, earlier sexual debut for females was associated with their number of partners during the preceding year. Findings underscore the potential benefits of access to sexual and reproductive education and services at earlier ages than current policies allow. Interventions before and during the period of sexual debut may reduce sexual risk for Jamaican adolescents and young adults.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age at Sexual Initiation and Sexual and Health Risk Behaviors Among Jamaican Adolescents and Young Adults

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A number of studies have explored the association between similar aspects of competence as those included in our measure of MHC and adolescent health risk behaviors [ [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] ], although all focused on competence in adolescence (not childhood) and none were UK-based. Several cross-sectional studies have shown that higher levels of prosocial behaviors were associated with lower prevalence of health risk behaviors, such as antisocial behavior, illegal drug use, and sexual contact [ [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] ]. Cross-sectional evidence of an association for problem solving (which relates to critical thinking learning skills) and health risk behaviors was, however, mixed [ [11] , [12] , [13] ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is a state of well-being that goes beyond the simple absence of illness or infirmity to include strengths and skills such as “efficient perception of reality, self-knowledge, exercise of voluntary control over behavior, self-esteem and self-acceptance, the ability to form affectionate relationships, and productivity” [ 9 ]. Research has demonstrated that higher levels of competencies, such as social competence, are associated with a lower prevalence of health risk behaviors in young people [ [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] ]. However, little research has examined how competencies in childhood are related to the development of health risk behaviors in adolescence, which could inform interventions aiming to reduce harmful behaviors and improve long-term well-being.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Mental Health Competence in Childhood Associated With Health Risk Behaviors in Adolescence? Findings From the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Rougeaux

Hope

Viner

et al. 2020

Journal of Adolescent Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Promoting positive mental health, particularly through enhancing competencies (such as prosocial behaviors and learning skills), may help prevent the development of health risk behaviors in adolescence and thus support future well-being. Few studies have examined how mental health competencies in childhood are associated with adolescent health risk behaviors, which could inform preventative approaches. Methods Using UK Millennium Cohort Study data (n = 10,142), we examined how mental health competence (MHC) measured at the end of elementary school (11 years) is associated with self-reported use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, illegal drugs, antisocial behavior, and sexual contact with another young person at age 14 years. A latent measure of MHC was used, capturing aspects of prosocial behavior and learning skills, categorized as high MHC, high–moderate MHC, moderate MHC, and low MHC. Logistic and multinomial regression estimated odds ratios and relative risk ratios for binary and categorical outcomes, respectively, before and after adjusting for confounders. Weights accounted for sample design and attrition and multiple imputation for item missingness. Results Those with low, moderate, or high-moderate MHC at age 11 years were more likely to have taken part in health risk behaviors at age 14 years compared with those with high MHC. The largest associations were seen for low MHC with binge drinking (relative risk ratio: 1.6 [95% confidence interval: 1.1–2.4]), having tried cigarettes (odds ratio: 2.2 [95% confidence interval: 1.6-3.1]) and tried illegal drugs (odds ratio: 2.0 [95% confidence interval: 1.3-3.1) after adjusting for confounders (which attenuated results but largely maintained significant findings). Conclusions MHC in late childhood is associated with health risk behaviors in midadolescence. Interventions that increase children's MHC may support healthy development during adolescence, with the potential to improve health and well-being through to adulthood.

show abstract

“…Finally, the two facets which were related to safe sex outcome, compliance and competence, are included in the domain of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. People with high interpersonal skills, with tendency to think before acting, that consider potential consequences, are less likely to participate in risky sexual behaviors [63][64][65]. On the other hand, the importance of condom use self-efficacy has been demonstrated in many studies [27].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Equation Modeling Test of an Integrated Model of Spanish Youth’s Condom Use

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Heterosexual transmission represents 26 % of newly diagnosed infection in Spanish youth. Behavioral change models have emphasized the influence of multiple variables to predict condom use behavior. The aim of this study is to examine how those variables are organized and which theory explains the condom use behavior better. A sample of 424 young heterosexuals (M age = 20.62; SD = 2.16) filled out a battery of self-report questionnaires for assessing AIDS-related variables, personality traits and clinical variables (general, sexuality-related and health-related). A structural model was specified that included perceived pleasure and condom use self-efficacy as predictive variables. Depression and sexual compulsivity indirectly influence behavior. The final model accounted for 65.9 % of the variance in behavior. These results highlight the importance of cognitive and emotional variables as predictors of behavior (ex. expectations of pleasure and self-efficacy beliefs). This is important information for designing effective psychological interventions.Resumen La transmisión heterosexual representa el 26 % de los nuevos diagnósticos de VIH en los jóvenes españoles. Los modelos de cambio de comportamiento han enfatizado la influencia de múltiples variables para predecir el uso del preservativo. El objetivo del presente estudio es examinar cómo se organizan estas variables y qué teoría explica mejor esta conducta. Una muestra de 424 jóvenes heterosexuales (x edad = 20.62; SD = 2.16) completó una batería de cuestionarios sobre Sida, rasgos de personalidad y variables clínicas (generales, sexuales y de salud). Los resultados obtenidos utilizando modelos de ecuaciones estructurales apoyan una relación directa entre uso del preservativo y autoeficacia y placer percibido. Las variables depresión y compulsividad sexual influyen indirectamente sobre la conducta. El modelo explica el 65.9 % de la varianza. Estos resultados destacan la importancia de las variables cognitivas y emocionales como predictoras del comportamiento. Esta información es importante para el diseño de intervenciones psicológicas eficaces.

show abstract

Interpersonal Competence and Sex Risk Behaviours among Jamaican Adolescents

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

Age at Sexual Initiation and Sexual and Health Risk Behaviors Among Jamaican Adolescents and Young Adults

Age at Sexual Initiation and Sexual and Health Risk Behaviors Among Jamaican Adolescents and Young Adults

Is Mental Health Competence in Childhood Associated With Health Risk Behaviors in Adolescence? Findings From the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Structural Equation Modeling Test of an Integrated Model of Spanish Youth’s Condom Use

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About