Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Correspondence concerning this article to Ken C. Ken Winters, Ph. Lindsey Baumel, B. We chose a mediational model given the emerging evidence that impulsivity is an underlying risk factor for many youth health risk problems, including sexual risk behaviors. The findings supported a partial mediational model in that the three target variables were significantly related to each other, yet the association of drug use and sexual risk was significantly reduced although not to zero when controlled by impulsivity.
The findings support the view that the association of drug use and sexual risk behaviors is partially mediated by impulsivity, as well as the broader theory that youth with deficits in self-regulatory behavioral systems confer a greater likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors. Study implications and limitations are discussed.
The risk for contracting the human immunodeficiency virus HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases STDs is a major public health concern among adolescents and young adults. In the United States, by the end of , there were 1, cases of HIV reported in youth ages 13β24, with of those cases reported in boys and cases reported in girls. Primary factors that increase the risk for risky sexual behaviors include early sexual involvement and unsafe sex i. Early initiation of sexual activity is usually defined as sexual experiences that occur before the age of 15, which, sequentially, increases the risk of contracting HIV or STDs because those who are younger tend to have more sexual partners and are less likely to use contraception Moore et al.
It has also been linked to unsafe sexual behavior Kruger et al. Another factor that may be related to unsafe sex practices is the role of alcohol and other drug AOD use. We are not aware of any studies that have specifically addressed sexual risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults by examining the relations of impulsivity, drug involvement and sexual risk behaviors.
Specifically, we test a mediational model to explore this interrelationship given our hypothesis that the association of AOD use and sexual risk behavior is influenced by the effects of impulsivity presumed as an underlying trait.
