Rural Mexican-American adolescent sexual risk behavior.
BACKGROUND
There is a need for community-based, culturally sensitive, cognitive-behavioral interventions to reduce sexual risk behavior among minority adolescents. Studies of adolescent risk and protective behaviors have focused on identifying modifiable psychosocial variables that predict differential outcomes for subsequent intervention efforts. Research has been scarce in studies of rural minority adolescent women.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the protective and risk behaviors of these rural Mexican-American adolescent women and their relationship to physical or sexual abuse.


METHODS
Mexican-American adolescent women aged 14-19 years were recruited through a rural health clinic and administered a self-report assessment for protective and risk behavior and sexual, physical, and psychological abuse.


RESULTS
Rural minority adolescent women endured high levels of psychological distress and many risk behaviors yet experienced few protective behaviors. Barriers to health care included access and confidentiality. Physically or sexually abused adolescents endured relatively greater risk and fewer protective behaviors than nonabused.


CONCLUSIONS
Rural Mexican-American adolescent women may benefit from confidential identification and assessment of abuse history and risk and protective behaviors so that appropriate psychological treatment can accompany accessible medical treatment. The prevalence of risk behaviors and abuse among these women presents a need for development of behavioral interventions for risk reduction and promotion of health protective behaviors.
Department of Family Nursing, School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA. dimmitt@uthscsa.edu
Jane Dimmitt
JD
Champion
Pat
P
Kelly
Rochelle N
RN
Shain
Jeanna M
JM
Piper
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D000328:Adult; D003267:Contraception / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D034121:Reproductive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D021841:Safe Sex / Q000208:ethnology; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000208:ethnology; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000208:ethnology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology