Violence Exposure and Sexual Risk Behaviors for African American Adolescent Girls: The Protective Role of Natural Mentorship and Organizational Religious Involvement

Abstract

Highlights• Violence exposure adversely implicates sexual health behaviors among African American girls.• Religiosity and mentorship can offset the effect of violence exposure on sexual risk behaviors.• Culturally relevant contexts shape adolescent health behaviors and promote resilience.Abstract African American adolescent girls are at increased risk of being exposed to community violence and being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection. Fewer studies, however, have examined the protective roles of natural mentorship and organizational religious involvement as potential moderators that could lessen the effects of violence exposure on health risk behavior. Data from 273 African American ninth grade girls were used to test hypothesized independent and moderated-moderation models. Results suggest that natural mentorship and religious involvement were protective for girls who reported at least one mentor and moderate to high levels of religious involvement. Our findings may be relevant for community stakeholders and organizations that directly interact with religious institutions and community programs that focus on outreach to African American adolescent girls.

Utilizing a Life Course Approach to Examine HI V Risk for Black Adolescent Girls and Young Adult Women in the United States: A Systematic Review of Recent Literature

“…In total, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria (see PRISMA diagram, Figure 1). Twelve study samples 23,25,[27][28][29][30]33,37,38,[41][42][43] included adolescents aged ≤17 years, five studies 24,26,34,35,39 included emerging adults aged 18-25 years, and four studies 31,32,36,40 included both adolescent girls and emerging adult women. Eighteen studies met 100% of the checklist criteria for inclusion in the review.…”

“…Three studies assessed the influence of religiosity on HIV-related behaviors. 30,41,42 One study measured religiosity with two items that captured engagement with organized religious activities (eg, service attendance). 30 The other two studies used an index of religiosity that assessed organized religious activities and more private aspects of religiosity (eg, prayer, scripture reading, and belief in a higher power).…”

“…30,41,42 One study measured religiosity with two items that captured engagement with organized religious activities (eg, service attendance). 30 The other two studies used an index of religiosity that assessed organized religious activities and more private aspects of religiosity (eg, prayer, scripture reading, and belief in a higher power). 41,42 Despite using different measures, these studies found that religiosity was protective against condom misuse, having multiple sexual partners, and adolescent sexual initiation.…”

Where Our Bright Star Is Cast: Religiosity, Spirituality, and Positive Black Development in Urban Landscapes

“…Certainly, a substantial body of quantitative and qualitative empirical work exists that carefully and persuasively documents the power of faith in the lives of Black people (Brown and Brown 2003;Cone 2010;Harding 1997;Hope et al 2019a;Hope et al 2019b;Lincoln and Mamiya 1990;Miller 2005;Taylor and Chatters 2010). However, Black urban life, generally, and Black urban faith life, in particular, are more expansive and more nuanced than even this carefully hewn body of empirical research reveals.…”

Nonorganizational Religious Involvement and Psychosocial Well-Being Among African American and Caribbean Black Youth

“…Furthermore, African American adolescents with greater religious beliefs tended to exhibit fewer high-risk behaviors (e.g., delinquency; Kim et al, 2017). Organizational religious involvement and natural mentorship were also found to buffer the effects of community violence on African American adolescent girls’ future sexual risk behaviors (Hope, Lee, et al, 2019). Much of the scholarship on Black adolescents has addressed organizational religious involvement (e.g., service attendance) and has emphasized the interpersonal and corporate aspects of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices (Breland-Noble et al, 2015).…”