Predicting Sexual Risk Behaviors Among African American Adolescents

Predicting Sexual Risk Behaviors Among African American Adolescents

Author: Sarah L. Kennedy

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13:

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African American (AA) adolescents are currently at disproportionate risk for HIV infection, with AA youth ages 13 through 19 accounting for 56% of all new HIV cases, a rate of infection 8 times that of Caucasian youth. Prevention researchers have targeted this population with a sense of urgency, resulting in numerous studies that have investigated predictors of sexual risk behaviors among AA youth. The results of these studies have yielded findings in a number of domains including environmental, individual, and interpersonal factors. However, reported findings are often inconsistent and synthesis of findings in this area is lagging. The present study synthesized data from 79 studies examining 11 domains of variables in association with 3 outcome variables: Unprotected Sex, Condom Use, and Multiple Sex partners. Intentions and partner variables were most predictive of sexual risk behaviors in this population. Further research is needed to investigate the role of partner-related influences in predicting sexual risk behaviors.


The Science of Adolescent Risk-Taking

The Science of Adolescent Risk-Taking

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-02-25

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 0309158524

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Adolescence is a time when youth make decisions, both good and bad, that have consequences for the rest of their lives. Some of these decisions put them at risk of lifelong health problems, injury, or death. The Institute of Medicine held three public workshops between 2008 and 2009 to provide a venue for researchers, health care providers, and community leaders to discuss strategies to improve adolescent health.


Handbook of Adolescent Psychology

Handbook of Adolescent Psychology

Author: Vincent B. Van Hasselt

Publisher: Pergamon

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13:

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Abstract: This book endeavors to present a balanced perspective on adolescent psychology by examing the data from a variety of theorectical frameworks and by including the input from many disciplines. Topics include: historical perspectives of adolescence; frameworks for critical questions; an examination of general issues such as physical development and maturation, social interactions and adjustment, sexuality, family and environment, morals and values, and intellectual growth; pathological conditions originating in adolescence; and, special topics such as cross-cultural perspectives, the handicapped adolescent, adolescent pregnancy and marriage, educational influences, and career planning.


The Social Psychology of HIV Infection

The Social Psychology of HIV Infection

Author: John B. Pryor

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2015-06-19

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 1317526422

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In the early 1980s we witnessed the birth of one of the most complex and perplexing social problems faced by modern society: the epidemic of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Originally published in 1993 this title looks at the social psychology surrounding HIV and AIDS. The organization of the volume centres upon two themes: The Theoretical Roots of Prevention and The Dilemma of the PWA (person with AIDS). The goal of this volume is not to evaluate previous attempts to answer these social problems, but to provide theoretical analyses of some of the basic sociopsychological processes that underlie the problems. Over 20 years on this is a snapshot of research into HIV and AIDS and attitudes of the time looking at social problems that are very much still with us.


Investing in the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults

Investing in the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2015-01-27

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 0309309980

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Young adulthood - ages approximately 18 to 26 - is a critical period of development with long-lasting implications for a person's economic security, health and well-being. Young adults are key contributors to the nation's workforce and military services and, since many are parents, to the healthy development of the next generation. Although 'millennials' have received attention in the popular media in recent years, young adults are too rarely treated as a distinct population in policy, programs, and research. Instead, they are often grouped with adolescents or, more often, with all adults. Currently, the nation is experiencing economic restructuring, widening inequality, a rapidly rising ratio of older adults, and an increasingly diverse population. The possible transformative effects of these features make focus on young adults especially important. A systematic approach to understanding and responding to the unique circumstances and needs of today's young adults can help to pave the way to a more productive and equitable tomorrow for young adults in particular and our society at large. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults describes what is meant by the term young adulthood, who young adults are, what they are doing, and what they need. This study recommends actions that nonprofit programs and federal, state, and local agencies can take to help young adults make a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. According to this report, young adults should be considered as a separate group from adolescents and older adults. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults makes the case that increased efforts to improve high school and college graduate rates and education and workforce development systems that are more closely tied to high-demand economic sectors will help this age group achieve greater opportunity and success. The report also discusses the health status of young adults and makes recommendations to develop evidence-based practices for young adults for medical and behavioral health, including preventions. What happens during the young adult years has profound implications for the rest of the life course, and the stability and progress of society at large depends on how any cohort of young adults fares as a whole. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults will provide a roadmap to improving outcomes for this age group as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.


The Best Intentions

The Best Intentions

Author: Committee on Unintended Pregnancy

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1995-06-16

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 0309556376

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Experts estimate that nearly 60 percent of all U.S. pregnancies--and 81 percent of pregnancies among adolescents--are unintended. Yet the topic of preventing these unintended pregnancies has long been treated gingerly because of personal sensitivities and public controversies, especially the angry debate over abortion. Additionally, child welfare advocates long have overlooked the connection between pregnancy planning and the improved well-being of families and communities that results when children are wanted. Now, current issues--health care and welfare reform, and the new international focus on population--are drawing attention to the consequences of unintended pregnancy. In this climate The Best Intentions offers a timely exploration of family planning issues from a distinguished panel of experts. This committee sheds much-needed light on the questions and controversies surrounding unintended pregnancy. The book offers specific recommendations to put the United States on par with other developed nations in terms of contraceptive attitudes and policies, and it considers the effectiveness of over 20 pregnancy prevention programs. The Best Intentions explores problematic definitions--"unintended" versus "unwanted" versus "mistimed"--and presents data on pregnancy rates and trends. The book also summarizes the health and social consequences of unintended pregnancies, for both men and women, and for the children they bear. Why does unintended pregnancy occur? In discussions of "reasons behind the rates," the book examines Americans' ambivalence about sexuality and the many other social, cultural, religious, and economic factors that affect our approach to contraception. The committee explores the complicated web of peer pressure, life aspirations, and notions of romance that shape an individual's decisions about sex, contraception, and pregnancy. And the book looks at such practical issues as the attitudes of doctors toward birth control and the place of contraception in both health insurance and "managed care." The Best Intentions offers frank discussion, synthesis of data, and policy recommendations on one of today's most sensitive social topics. This book will be important to policymakers, health and social service personnel, foundation executives, opinion leaders, researchers, and concerned individuals. May


Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviors and Outcomes

Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviors and Outcomes

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2020-03-21

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 0309496772

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Adolescence is a critical growth period in which youth develop essential skills that prepare them for adulthood. Prevention and intervention programs are designed to meet the needs of adolescents who require additional support and promote healthy behaviors and outcomes. To ensure the success of these efforts, it is essential that they include reliably identifiable techniques, strategies, or practices that have been proven effective. Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviors and Outcomes: Thriving in the 21st Century identifies key program factors that can improve health outcomes related to adolescent behavior and provides evidence-based recommendations toward effective implementation of federal programming initiatives. This study explores normative adolescent development, the current landscape of adolescent risk behavior, core components of effective programs focused on optimal health, and recommendations for research, programs, and policies.


Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher:

Published: 2021-12-24

Total Pages: 750

ISBN-13: 9780309683951

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One in five people in the United States had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) on any given day in 2018, totaling nearly 68 million estimated infections. STIs are often asymptomatic (especially in women) and are therefore often undiagnosed and unreported. Untreated STIs can have severe health consequences, including chronic pelvic pain, infertility, miscarriage or newborn death, and increased risk of HIV infection, genital and oral cancers, neurological and rheumatological effects. In light of this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through the National Association of County and City Health Officials, commissioned the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to examine the prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections in the United States and provide recommendations for action. In 1997, the Institute of Medicine released a report, The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Although significant scientific advances have been made since that time, many of the problems and barriers described in that report persist today; STIs remain an underfunded and comparatively neglected field of public health practice and research. The committee reviewed the current state of STIs in the United States, and the resulting report, Sexually Transmitted Infections: Advancing a Sexual Health Paradigm, provides advice on future public health programs, policy, and research.