Dataset Information

The sexual behaviours of adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years involved with the juvenile justice system in Australia: A community-based survey.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To overcome key knowledge gaps in relation to justice involved and vulnerable young people and their sexual health and to compare this group with their peers from other youth health surveys in Australia to determine the extent of the issues.

Methods

Young people, aged between 14 and 17 years, who had ever been or were currently involved with the criminal justice system were purposively sampled. The survey was anonymous and delivered using Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI).

Results

A total of 465 justice involved MeH-JOSH young people, aged between 14 and 17 years, participated in the study: 44% Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) and 37% not attending school. Of the total valid responses, 76% (n = 348) reported having ever had sex, with sexual initiation at a median age of 14 years. We compared these data with their peers in other Australian surveys and found that young people in our study had a higher engagement in sex and start having sex at a younger age, reporting more sexual partners at all ages.

Conclusions

The sexual behaviours of young people involved in the justice system in this study suggest they may be at a greater risk for sexually transmissible infections than their age-matched peers in the general population. Policymakers should elevate them to a priority population for targeting sexual health services and health promotion.

SUBMITTER: Yap L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7769256 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The sexual behaviours of adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years involved with the juvenile justice system in Australia: A community-based survey.

Yap Lorraine L Jones Jocelyn J Donovan Basil B Nathan Sally S Sullivan Elizabeth E Davison Sophie S Heffernan Ed E Richards Alun A Meurk Carla C Steele Megan M Fisher Christopher C Ton Bianca B Butler Tony T

PloS one 20201228 12

<h4>Objectives</h4>To overcome key knowledge gaps in relation to justice involved and vulnerable young people and their sexual health and to compare this group with their peers from other youth health surveys in Australia to determine the extent of the issues.<h4>Methods</h4>Young people, aged between 14 and 17 years, who had ever been or were currently involved with the criminal justice system were purposively sampled. The survey was anonymous and delivered using Computer Assisted Telephone Int ...[more]

PMID: 33370362

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Evaluation of sexual behaviors is essential to better understand the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections and their sequelae. METHODS:The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) is an ongoing probability sample survey of the US population. Using NHANES sexual behavior data from 1999 to 2012, we performed the following: (1) trend analyses among adults aged 25 to 59 years by 10-year birth cohorts and (2) descriptive analyses among participants aged 14 to 24 years. Sex was defined as vaginal, anal, or oral sex. RESULTS:Among adults aged 25 to 59 years, median age at sexual initiation decreased between the 1940-1949 and 1980-1989 cohorts from 17.9 to 16.2 among females (P trend < 0.001) and from 17.1 to 16.1 among males (P trend < 0.001). Median lifetime partners increased between the 1940-1949 and 1970-1979 cohorts, from 2.6 to 5.3 among females (P trend < 0.001) and from 6.7 to 8.8 among males (P trend < 0.001). The percentage of females reporting ever having a same-sex partner increased from 5.2% to 9.3% between the 1940-1949 and 1970-1979 cohorts (P trend < 0.001). Among participants aged 14 to 24 years, the percentage having had sex increased with age, from 12.5% among females and 13.1% among males at age 14 years to more than 75% at age 19 years for both sexes. Among sexually experienced 14- to 19-year-olds, 45.2% of females and 55.0% of males had at least 3 lifetime partners; 39.4% of females and 48.6% of males had at least 2 partners in the past year. The proportion of females aged 20 to 24 years who reported ever having a same-sex partner was 14.9%. The proportion of participants aged 14-19 or 20-24 years reporting ever having sex did not differ by survey year from 1999 to 2012 for either males or females. CONCLUSIONS:Sexual behaviors changed with successive birth cohorts, with more pronounced changes among females. A substantial proportion of adolescents are sexually active and have multiple partners. These data reinforce existing recommendations for sexual health education and sexually transmitted infection prevention targeting adolescents before sexual debut.

Project description:Alcohol use among young people is a major public health concern in Australia and internationally. Research elucidating social norms influencing alcohol use supports the desire to conform to peers. However, there is a lack of evidence on how social norms are transmitted from the community to young people and between family members and peers, as previous studies are limited to mainly school and university environments. This article describes the proposed process to investigate common alcohol-related norms held by 14-year-olds to 17-year-olds in Perth, Western Australia, and to clarify the process and pathways through which proalcohol norms are transmitted to adolescents.This cross-sectional quantitative study will use respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit a sample of 672 adolescents from sporting groups, youth programmes and the community in Perth. Data will be collected with a previously developed and validated multidimensional online survey instrument. A variety of strategies will be explored to aid participation including face-to-face recruitment and survey administration, web-based RDS and a 'mature minor' consent assessment protocol. Data analysis will include descriptive statistics of demographic characteristics, as well as social network and dyadic analyses, to explore the connections between shared understanding of norms and behaviours among individuals and how these translate into reported practices.This research is expected to extend our understanding of normative development pathways to inform future interventions, and will be widely disseminated through conference presentations, peer-reviewed papers, media channels and community seminars. A study reference group of key health industry stakeholders will be established to encourage integration of study findings into policy and practice, and results will guide the development of community interventions. The Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee has granted approval for this research.

Project description:IntroductionJustice-involved adolescents are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections; one primary reason is co-occurring substance use. This study investigates the additive benefit of including alcohol and cannabis use content in a theory-based sexual risk reduction intervention, delivered using group-based motivational enhancement therapy.Study designThis study had a cluster randomized design, with randomization of single-sex clusters to 1 of 3 interventions.Setting/participantsParticipants were male and female justice-involved adolescents (N=460) residing in youth detention facilities. Data were collected from 2010 to 2014; analyses were completed in 2018-2019.InterventionAdolescents were randomized to 1 of 3 motivational enhancement therapy interventions: sexual risk reduction intervention, sexual risk reduction intervention with alcohol content, or sexual risk reduction intervention with alcohol and cannabis content.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was risky sexual behavior (aggregation of condom use and frequency of intercourse), measured every 3 months for 1 year. Secondary outcomes were theoretical mechanisms on which the intervention was based (condom use attitudes, self-efficacy, peer norms, and behavioral intentions), collected at baseline and post-test.ResultsRisky sexual behavior significantly decreased from baseline to 3-month follow-up (t=10.59, p<0.001) and this decrease was maintained 1 year later (t=9.04, p<0.001). Intervention was associated with improved values on all theoretical mechanisms. Although all outcomes improved over time, changes did not differ by intervention condition (p>0.29 for all). Comparisons to a historical, information-only, sexual risk reduction control arm conducted with a similar juvenile justice sample confirm the effectiveness of all 3 motivational enhancement therapy-based interventions.ConclusionsAll 3 interventions were associated with decreased sexual risk up to 1 year later, suggesting that the intervention modality (motivational enhancement therapy) may resonate with this population beyond the specific substance use content. This single-session manualized intervention can be readily disseminated to juvenile justice settings.Trial registrationThis study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01170260.

Project description:ImportanceChild maltreatment adversely affects health and development, but evidence is needed regarding whether and how Child Protective Services (CPS) interventions may mitigate risks.ObjectiveTo assess whether different forms of CPS intervention are associated with sexual and reproductive health outcomes among female adolescents investigated by CPS for suspected exposure to maltreatment during childhood.Design, setting, and participantsThis cohort study used linked, longitudinal, statewide administrative data from Wisconsin, including medical assistance and CPS records, to examine the rates and correlates of sexual and reproductive health outcomes (sexual transmitted infections, pregnancies, births, and high-risk sexual behavior) among 9392 female adolescents tracked from age 13 through 17 years who were investigated by CPS for suspected exposure to maltreatment prior to their 13th birthday. The study assesses how these outcomes were associated with types and frequency of CPS involvement and intervention and with adolescent and family demographic characteristics. Participants were female adolescents born from 2000 through 2002 who were investigated by Wisconsin CPS for suspected exposure to maltreatment before 13 years of age and who were covered by medical assistance at least 85% of the time from 13 to 17 years of age.ExposuresVarying levels and intensities of CPS interventions, ranging from a single investigation to adoption from foster care.Main outcomes and measuresDependent variables were pregnancy, birth, sexually transmitted infection, and an aggregate measure of sexual health concerns from 13 to 17 years of age. Primary explanatory variables were the intensity of CPS intervention (investigation only, in-home services, and foster care) and frequency of maltreatment concerns (number of investigations, continued involvement during adolescence). Logistic regression was used to assess the association of CPS measures with differences in sexual health outcomes. Data were analyzed from March 1 to October 12, 2021.ResultsThis cohort study included 9392 female adolescents, among whom 3156 (33.6%) were born in 2000, 3064 (32.6%) in 2001, and 3173 (33.8%) in 2002; 2501 adolescents [26.6%] were Black, 1568 [16.7%] were Hispanic, 1024 [10.9%] were multiracial, 4024 [42.8%] were White, and 275 [2.9%] were listed as other [which included American Indian, Asian or Pacific Islander, or unknown race or ethnicity]). By 18 years of age, sizable proportions of maltreated female adolescents had at least 1 concerning sexual health outcome (23.5%), including diagnoses of gonorrhea, chlamydia, or trichomoniasis (8.4%), pregnancy (11.2%), and parenthood (6.1%). Compared with CPS investigation without formal intervention, foster care was associated with lower odds of pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.82; 95% C, 0.69-0.98) and live birth (adjusted odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61-0.99). Recurrent and ongoing CPS involvement was associated with adverse sexual health outcomes.Conclusions and relevanceThis cohort study found that maltreated girls face increased risks of adverse sexual health outcomes in adolescence, but CPS interventions were associated with limited influence. More effective interventions are needed to help maltreated girls avoid teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and risky sexual behaviors in adolescence.

Dataset Information

The sexual behaviours of adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years involved with the juvenile justice system in Australia: A community-based survey.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

The sexual behaviours of adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years involved with the juvenile justice system in Australia: A community-based survey.

Similar Datasets

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