DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF ADOLESCENT FEMALE SEXUAL ACTIVITY IN A MULTICULTURAL POPULATION.
Contributors: University of California, San Francisco.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 278
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study used a descriptive correlational design to test a model of biopsychosocial factors that were potentially correlated with adolescent female sexual activity. Data were obtained via a secondary analysis of an adolescent health risk survey designed by Doctors Charles Irwin, Shauna Millstein and Claire Brindis of the University of California at San Francisco's Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine.

The sample consisted of 879 female students at two Northern California High Schools. The subjects were 62.8% Hispanic (primarily Mexican-American), 12.4% Anglo, 10.9% Asian, 7.3% Pacific Islander, and 6.6% from "Other" ethnic groups. These students completed the Adolescent Health Risk Survey originally designed to evaluate the effectiveness of School Based Clinics at the two schools.

There were differences between sexually active and abstinent females. Sexually active females were more likely to use alcohol, cigarettes, and illegal drugs, and to have experienced a larger number of life change events. They also were more likely to have thought about and attempted to harm themselves, to feel less hopeful, to receive lower school grades and have lower educational aspirations, and to have parents who were divorced or separated.

There were also significant differences between younger and older sexually active females. Younger sexually active students were more likely to experience early menarche and to more often report feeling nervous, scared and bored. Older sexually active students were more likely to report feeling angry and depressed. Younger sexually active students reported feeling less good about themselves than abstinent students.

There were also differences between the ethnic groups. Anglo, "Other" and Pacific Islander females became sexually active earlier, and Anglo and "Other" students experienced earlier menarche. Asian students were the most likely to remain abstinent and to obtain higher school grades than the other groups.

Two new conceptual models were proposed which specified factors that appear to correlate with sexual activity in the younger adolescent female and in the middle to late adolescent. Suggestions were made for continuing research efforts that include replicating the descriptive study with adolescent males, the development of conceptual, prescriptive and practice models and eventually a longitudinal causal model.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-08, Section: B, page: 4120.

Thesis (D.N.S.)--UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, 1991.

School code: 0034.