Youth Risk Behaviors (page 3)

Another important issue being addressed by HHD’s Center for Research on High Risk Behaviors is the early initiation of sexual intercourse among many urban youth. Early initiation is related to multiple health and social consequences and contributes to epidemic levels of sexually transmitted infections and the spread of HIV among minority young people.

The second paper, “Heterosexual Risk Behavior among Urban Young Adolescents” in the Journal of Early Adolescence explores heterosexual risk behaviors in a sample of urban fifth graders who are at risk for sexual initiation during middle school. The study highlights the importance of parenting practices, including monitoring and rule setting, on early heterosexual risk behaviors. Even as peer relationships become important, young adolescents look to parents for continued guidance and support.

O’Donnell says, “We hope these findings will contribute to parents’ understanding of the influence they have on what adolescents are likely to do.”

The third paper, “Saving Sex for Later: An Evaluation of a Parent Education Intervention,” was published in 2005 in the journal Prospectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Developed with extensive input from parents and youth, Saving Sex for Later consists of three audio CDs that use engaging and dramatic stories to model how parents can help their sons and daughters navigate the normal pubertal changes and the challenges of becoming a teenager and, importantly, help them stay abstinent during the critical early adolescent years.

This article details a randomized experimental trial that involved about 850 families with fifth- and sixth-grade students in New York City schools. The results show that listening the Saving Sex for Later CDs helped parents talk to their children about puberty, romantic relationships, and delaying sexual activity. Youth whose parents received the CDs reported more family rules, greater family support, and less risky behavior.

“Saving Sex for Later is a simple, promising intervention for promoting youth abstinence that is designed to reach busy parents at their convenience,” says Dr. O’Donnell.