 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Ramesh Raghavan, MD1, Marc Elliott, MA, PhD2, and Mark A. Schuster, MD, PhD2. (1) Departments of Pediatrics and Health Services, UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion, University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Box 951752, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1752, (310) 825-2178, rraghavan@mednet.ucla.edu, (2) RAND, 1700 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407
Introduction: High levels of sexual activity are a risk factor for forced sexual intercourse among youth. We examine how sexual intercourse and forced sex affect risk of subsequent forced sexual intercourse among youth.
Methods: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) is a panel study of 14,738 students in grades 7-12. We performed logistic regression on data from 2 waves (1995 and 1996). Add Health only allows the study of perpetration for boys and victimization for girls.
Results: At Wave 2, 2.1% of boys had ever perpetrated forced sex, and 8.4% of girls had ever been forced into sex. Boys that either had sex within a romantic relationship, or had sex without having a romantic relationship had 5 and 9 times higher odds respectively of forcing someone into sex. Girls that either had sex within a romantic relationship, or had sex without a romantic relationship had 3 and 5 times higher odds respectively of being forced into sex. Prior forced sex independently predicted later forced sex. Reporting that she had used drugs, that her mother did not care about her, and that her peers disliked her were other risk factors for girls.
Discussion: The odds of future forced sex are considerable for youth having non-romantic sex and sexual intercourse within romantic relationships. Sexually active adolescents, and girls who previously have been forced into sex, are a high-risk group for forced sexual intercourse.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescents, Sexual Risk Behavior
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.