title: Masculine Ideology, Sexual Communication, and Sexual Self-Efficacy Among Parenting Adolescent Couples.
abstract: This study examined the relationship between traditional masculine role norms (status, toughness, anti-femininity) and psychosocial mechanisms of sexual risk (sexual communication, sexual self-efficacy) among young, low-income, and minority parenting couples. Between 2007 and 2011, 296 pregnant adolescent females and their male partners were recruited from urban obstetrics clinics in Connecticut. Data regarding participants' beliefs in masculine role norms, frequency of general sex communication and sexual risk communication, and sexual self-efficacy were collected via computer-assisted self-interviews. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to test for actor effects (whether a person's masculine role norms at baseline influence the person's own psychosocial variables at 6-month follow-up) and partner effects (whether a partner's masculine role norms at baseline influence an actor's psychosocial variables at 6-month follow-up). Results revealed that higher actor status norms were significantly associated with more sexual self-efficacy, higher actor toughness norms were associated with less sexual self-efficacy, and higher actor anti-femininity norms were significantly associated with less general sex communication, sexual risk communication, and sexual self-efficacy. No partner effects were found. These results indicate a need for redefining masculine role norms through family centered approaches in pregnant or parenting adolescent couples to increase sexual communication and sexual self-efficacy. Further research is needed to understand partner effects in the context of a relationship and on subsequent sexual risk behavior.
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA. melanieknorton1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Melanie K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry and in the Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Megan V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Urania
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Magriples
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.|Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Trace S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kershaw
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003142:Communication; D003237:Connecticut; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D057228:Masculinity; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D066262:Social Norms; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescent parents; Masculinity; Sexual communication; Sexual risk; Sexual self-efficacy