Predictors of sexual involvement among adolescents in rural Jamaica
- 1 April 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH in International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
- Vol. 16 (2), 165-178
- https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh.2004.16.2.165
Abstract
Early sexual activity of adolescents is associated with increased risk of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, and higher maternal/perinatal morbidity and mortality. HIV and adolescent pregnancy are among the most serious public health problems in Jamaica. The objective of this study was to identify the potential predictors of adolescent sexual activity in Jamaica. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 788 students 13-19 years of age in Jamaica. A questionnaire containing items on socio-demographic characteristics such as age and gender, and scales on adolescent values about sexual activity, self-efficacy for abstinence, parental love, and depression were administered to adolescents at secondary schools in the parish of Hanover. Reliability analysis of the scales, descriptive statistics, and logistic regression to determine predictors of sexual activity were conducted. Approximately 62% of adolescents who responded reported previous sexual intercourse and 38% reported never having had sex. The mean age for sexual debut was 13.6 years. Logistic regression revealed delay values (values towards delaying sexual activity) as protective (OR=0.16, CI=0.09-0.26) against involvement in sexual activity. Risk factors for sexual activity included being older (OR=1.9, CI=1.50-2.50), being male (OR=2.26, CI=1.39-3.68) and having grown-up values (OR=1.49, CI=1.05-2.12). Contrary to expectations, having higher self-efficacy skills was predictive (OR=1.47, CI=1.05-2.05) of adolescent sexual involvement. Analyses by gender revealed that delay and grownup values predicted male sexual activity, while self-efficacy, paternal love and delay values predicted female behavior. These findings show the importance of age, gender, self-efficacy, delay and grown-up values in predicting sexual activity in adolescents and indicate the need for gender-specific interventions for Jamaican adolescents.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- SCALES MEASURING PSYCHOSOCIAL ANTECEDENTS OF COITAL INITIATION AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN A RURAL SOUTHERN STATEPsychological Reports, 2003
- Adolescent girls, illegal abortions and “sugar-daddies” in Dar es Salaam: vulnerable victims and active social agentsSocial Science & Medicine (1982), 2001
- Adolescent sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases: Attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and valuesJournal of Pediatric Nursing, 1999
- Sexual Attitudes and Behavior Among Young Adolescents in JamaicaInternational Family Planning Perspectives, 1999
- Family Communication About Sex: What are Parents Saying and Are Their Adolescents Listening?Family Planning Perspectives, 1998
- School performance in adolescent Jamaican girls: associations with health, social and behavioural characteristics, and risk factors for dropoutJournal of Adolescence, 1998
- Testing a theoretical model of adolescent sexual behavior among rural families in povertyTRADITION -A JOURNAL OF ORTHODOX JEWISH THOUGHT, 1996
- Maternal hypertension and associated pregnancy complications among african-american and other women in the United StatesObstetrics & Gynecology, 1996
- Correlates and Consequences of Early Initiation of Sexual IntercourseJournal of School Health, 1994
- Explaining Race and Gender Differences in Adolescent Sexual BehaviorSocial Forces, 1994