Understanding sexual abstinence in urban adolescent girls.
OBJECTIVE
To gain insight into the context of sexual abstinence and identify potential determinants of abstinence in this population.


METHODS
Four focus groups.


METHODS
Twenty-four, predominantly African American (88%) girls aged 14 to 19 years were recruited from urban health centers and youth development programs in Rochester, New York, between September and December 2006.


METHODS
Content analysis was used to analyze the four verbatim transcripts. Using analytic induction, groups were compared and contrasted at the micro (within-group) and macro (between-group) levels to identify themes.


RESULTS
Four themes were identified that provided insight into how and why these girls remain abstinent despite being in sexually active social climates. They focused on the following: self-respect (I'm worth it), impact of mothers (Mama says ... think before you let it go), influence of boys and other peers (Boys will be boys), and potential negative consequences of sex (Hold on, there's a catch).


CONCLUSIONS
Developing interventions to maintain abstinence, delay onset of sexual activity, and promote protected first and subsequent sexual contact in abstinent girls are key to decreasing future sexual risk. These findings suggest opportunities to develop HIV prevention strategies tailored to the needs of abstinent girls.
Morrison-Beedy
Dianne
D
School of Nursing, University of Rochester, NY 14642, USA. dianne_morrison-beedy@urmc.rochester.edu
Carey
Michael P
MP
Côté-Arsenault
Denise
D
Seibold-Simpson
Susan
S
Robinson
Kerry Anne
KA
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009042:Motivation; D009518:New York; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control; D012649:Self Concept; D012746:Sexual Abstinence / Q000523:psychology*