Longitudinal stability and predictability of sexual perceptions, intentions, and behaviors among early adolescent African-Americans
Stanton, B.F.; Li, X.; Black, M.M.; Ricardo, I.; Galbraith, J.; Feigelman, S.; Kaljee, L.
Journal of Adolescent Health Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 18(1): 10-19
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 1054-139X PMID: 8750423 DOI: 10.1016/1054-139x(95)00070-9Document Number: 300692
A longitudinal study conducted among low-income African-American early adolescents identified the salience of intentions and perceptions regarding sexual intercourse to subsequent behavior. The 119 boys and girls 9-15 years of age were recruited from public housing project recreation centers in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1993. Each youth completed the Youth Health Risk Behavioral Inventory; the instrument was re-administered 6 months later. At baseline, 71 respondents (60%) were virgins; 6 (9%) became sexually active during the 6-month study period. 27 (56%) of the 48 subjects who were sexually experienced at baseline engaged in intercourse during the ensuing 6 months. Overall, the predictiveness of intention to have sex in the next 6 months and actual behavior was very strong, especially among younger youth; nearly half of young people who thought it likely they would have sex did so, while only one-fifth of those who were uncertain and one-seventh of those who considered it unlikely had sex. Condom intention, on the other hand, was not predictive of subsequent use. Youth who engaged in sexual intercourse during the study period had more perceived peer support and internal rewards for sexual activity and perceived the sequelae of intercourse as less severe than their abstinent counterparts. Overall, these findings suggest that social cognitive behavioral models that incorporate intentions and perceptions should form the theoretical basis for interventions aimed at young adolescents.