298779
Impact of Fathers on Reducing Prevalence of Dating Violence, and Sexual Risk Behaviors among a National Sample of Adolescent Females
Methods: Wave II of the public release of the AddHealth was used; focusing on sexually active females with an intimate partner in the previous 18 months (N=879). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to best utilize capacity for dealing with latent variables and testing for possible mediation effects.
Results: Analysis demonstrates significant effects of dating violence (B =- .27, p = .002) and father involvement (B = .26, p = .004) on sexual behaviors. The more dating violence an adolescent experiences, the less likely she is to engage in healthy sexual behaviors. Likewise, the more involvement a father has in his daughter’s life, the more likely she is to engage in positive sexual behaviors.
Dividing the sample by race (White/non-White) results in different effects of dating violence on sexual behaviors but only minimally different from the previous model on the effect of father involvement (non-White: B = .28, p = .028; White: B = .27, p = .008). The effect of dating violence on sexual risk behaviors shifted significantly by race, disappearing for White females; yet intensifying for non-White females (non-White: B = -.64, p = .000; White: B = -.040, p = .711).
Conclusions: Given the findings of this study, professionals should consider integrating fathers into prevention programs and policies.
Learning Areas:
Public health or related researchSocial and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Assess the impact of biological fathers on reducing the prevalence of dating violence and sexual risk behaviors among a national sample of adolescent females
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Alleyne-Green’s has been the recipient of a number of funding awards including a Diversity Supplement from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), a First Year Faculty Grant from Fordham University as well as a Faculty Research Development Award to promote her research agenda. To date, Dr. Alleyne-Green has published a number of articles that examine the impact of relationship violence on sexual and other risk behaviors among minority adolescent females.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.