WASHINGTON – Exposure to violence in childhood significantly increased the odds of early dating and sexual behavior in adolescents, based on data from 177 high-risk black girls in a low-income urban setting. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research.
"Currently, young African American adolescent girls are at disproportionate risk for poor sexual health outcomes," said Helen Wilson, Ph.D., of the college of health professions at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that black women aged 15-24 years have the highest rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia in the United States, she added.
However, there is not consistent evidence that black girls are more likely to take sexual risks, she said.
"There is growing recognition that violence exposure is associated with sexual risk," she said. Violence exposure also disproportionately affects youths who grow up in low-income, urban communities, she noted.
In this study, Dr. Wilson and her colleagues reviewed data from 177 girls who were participating in a longitudinal study on mother-daughter relationships and HIV risk behavior. Data were initially collected at baseline (when the girls were aged 12-16 years) and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.
"There is growing recognition that violence exposure is associated with sexual risk."
In a recent follow-up, the same participants responded to questions using the Lifetime Trauma and Victimization History. Sexual behavior was assessed via the AIDS Risk Behavior Assessment at all time points during the study.
Overall, 44% of the girls reported some type of violence during childhood (defined as having experienced physical or sexual victimization and/or having witnessed violence before 12 years of age).
The girls who reported exposure to childhood violence were significantly more likely than those who reported no childhood violence exposure to report sexual experience, inconsistent condom use, and a higher number of sexual partners. This trend persisted across all six time points. In addition, more extensive involvement in dating relationships in early adolescence helped to explain this relationship, said Dr. Wilson.
The results were limited by the retrospective nature of the self-reports and a lack of data about sexual partners, Dr. Wilson said, as well as a lack of generalizability of the findings to other adolescent girls. But these findings suggest that early interventions in this population might help to delay sexual activity and reduce sexual risk in low-income girls with histories of exposure to violence.
"Addressing general dating behavior should be part of such interventions," Dr. Wilson said. "Girls who are already involved in dating relationships may benefit most from early interventions to promote healthy romantic relationships and reduce sexual risk," she noted.
More research is needed about the role of partner relationships in linking violence exposure to sexual risk in high-risk adolescent girls, said Dr. Wilson. Prospective studies beginning with clear evidence of violence exposure in childhood would support stronger conclusions about this relationship, she added.
Dr. Wilson had no financial conflicts to disclose. The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.