Health
14:36, 22-Dec-2017
Drug use, mental distress, violence in adolescent may lead to high risk of HIV
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The psychological and social risks in one's teenage years including drug use, mental distress and exposure to violence, may engage in unsafe sexual behavior that increases the chance of HIV infection, according to a study led by the University of Michigan published on journal AIDS.
"Our findings support the notion that the increasing frequency of psychosocial risk factors experienced during adolescence may have effects on HIV risk behavior decades later," study lead author David Cordova told the university's press.
The team led by Cordova conducted the study from September 1994 to May 2013 in Flint, US state of Michigan. A total of 850 students, mainly African-American, participated in the study.
During the study, the students were assessed six times beginning age 14 until they turned 32. They were asked about their sexual behavior, mental health, being a victim or witness of violence, family, friends and community factors.
The research team found out that one out of four participants with the relatively higher frequency of co-occurring psychological and social risks as teenagers had at least four sexual partners and were more likely to report unprotected sex with recent partners, as well as sexual intercourse with strangers in adulthood. They were also more likely to use illegal drugs prior to sex.
These participants were more vulnerable to HIV risk than those who were with the low frequency of psychological and social risks.
Cordova said in the press release that since the study mainly involved African-American respondents, the findings may not be generalized to all adolescent populations.
(Top photo credit: VCG)