Does sexual coercion play a role in the high-risk sexual behavior of adolescent and young adult women?
Sexual coercion and its relationship to high-risk sexual behavior were examined in five samples of young women. Sample 1 (N = 22) consisted of sexually active adolescents aged 15 to 19. Samples 2 (N = 206) and 3 (N = 70) were recruited from among patients at three sexually transmitted disease clinics. Sample 4 (N = 51) consisted of young homeless women living on the street in a large city. Sample 5 (N = 51) was recruited from among young women on a college campus. Across all samples, 44.4% of women indicated that they had been forced into some form of sexual activity against their will. Self-reports of sexually coercive experiences were consistently related to risky sexual behavior. It appears that many young women are coerced into engaging in high-risk sexual behavior. This implies the need for greater attention to male coercive sexual behavior and women's skills for coping with such behavior.
Biglan
A
A
Oregon Research Institute, Eugene 97403-1983, USA.
Noell
J
J
Ochs
L
L
Smolkowski
K
K
Metzler
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003068:Coercion; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases; D013334:Students