title: Risky sexual behaviors among sexually active first-year students matriculating at a historically Black college: Is a positive self-image an instigator?
abstract: A sample of 498 sexually active first-year students matriculating at a historically Black college in North Carolina was used to determine correlates of risky sexual behaviors. In an Ordinary Least Squares regression, the self-esteem element "I take a positive attitude toward myself" (B = 1.12, p = .05), non-condom use because of partner issues (B = .53, p = .05) and being drunk or high (B = 1.20, p = .001), oral sex (B = 1.74, p = .001), anal sex (B = .61, p = .04), and bisexuality (B = .85, p = .03) all increased the number of these behaviors. Higher scores on the condom usage scale (B = -.38, p = .002) were found to decrease the number of risky sexual behaviors. Illicit drug use was an underpinning of the surprisingly positive relationship between positive self-image and risky sexual behaviors. It was concluded that school-based social workers, mental health care professionals, and community-based prevention providers can play a critical role in the training of peer facilitators, development, and supervision of peer-driven risk-reduction programs to address the complex interplay among self-esteem, sex, and substances.
authors: a Social Work Program , Livingstone College , Salisbury , North Carolina , USA.
authors: Walter L
authors: WL
authors: Ellis
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009657:North Carolina; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000208:ethnology; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: African American; HIV/AIDS; STDs; bisexual; risky sexual behaviors; self-esteem; self-image