Paper
Thursday, July 12, 2007
An Interdisciplinary Study of Heterosocial Behaviors and Sexual Behavior in Adoelscent Girls
Willa M. Doswell, RN, PhD, FAAN, Health Promotion and Development, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, Betty J. Braxter, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, and Dianxu Ren, PhD, Health & Community Systems, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: The learner will be able to describe the heterosocial behaviors in which middle school African American girls engage. |
| Learning Objective #2: The learner will be able to discuss the influence of heterosocial behaviors on attitudes and norms toward early sexual behaviors in African American girls. |
One targeted health objectives in Healthy People 2010 is to increase the proportion of teens who abstain from engaging in sexual intercourse. To achieve this goal, researchers must continue to examine factors associated with early teen sexual intercourse such as adverse heterosocial behavior. Specific Aims of this study were to : 1) assess the heterosocial behaviors in which middle school African American girls engage; 2) describe the attitudes and norms held by middle school African American girls toward early sexual behaviors; and 3) examine heterosocial behaviors as a predictor of attitudes and norms toward early sexual behavior. Methods: Cross-sectional baseline data retrieved from the “Randomized Controlled Trial of the NIA Intervention” (NICHD#RO1HD39757-01) were analyzed. The sample was comprised of 209 African American girls, age 11-14.3 years (mean age 12.40, S.D. 0.89) drawn from five middle schools in a mid-sized northeastern city. Girls completed a 10-item Heterosocial Behavior Scale (Paikoff, 1995) that measured the type and frequency of social boy-girl interactions within their peer group (e.g., ever spend time with a mixed group of boy/girls inside a private place), and respectively a 16- item Premarital Attitude scale (PAS) and a 16-item Parental Approval and Friend’s Approval of Sexual Behavior Scale (PFrASBS) both by Treboux (1999). Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics and linear regression models were generated. Results: The majority of girls had not engaged in adverse heterosocial behaviors. Girls were unsure about their premarital attitude and peer norms related to engaging in early sexual behaviors. Girls did perceive that their mother/father would disapprove of engaging in any early sexual behavior. Adverse heterosocial behavior was a significant predictor of premarital attitude ( p<.0001), and peer norms ( p<.0001) to engage in early sexual behavior. Conclusions: Hetersocial behaviors is a significant predictor of favorable attitudes and norms to engage in early sexual behavior.