Precocious and Problematic? The Consequences of Youth Violent Victimization for Adolescent Sexual Behavior

Association between Family Environment and Adolescents' Sexual Adaptability: Based on the Latent Profile Analysis of Personality Traits

Sexual adaptation plays an important role in psychosexual health. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between the family environment and sexual adaptability among adolescents with different personality traits. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shanghai and Shanxi province. A total of 1106 participants aged 14-19 was surveyed in 2019, including 519 boys and 587 girls. Univariate analyses and mixed regression models were performed to assess the association. Girls had a significantly lower average score of sexual self-adaptation compared to boys (4.01 ± 0.77 vs. 4.32 ± 0.64, p < 0.001). We found that the family environment did not impact boys' sexual adaptation in different personality groups. For girls in a balanced group, expressiveness factors improved their sexual adaptability (p < 0.05), intellectual-cultural orientation and organization promoted social adaptability (p < 0.05) and active-recreational orientation and control decreased their social adaptability (p < 0.05). In the high-neuroticism group, cohesion facilitated sexual control (p < 0.05), while conflict and organization reduced sexual control ability, and active-recreational orientation decreased sexual adaptation (p < 0.05). No factors associated with the family environment were found to influence sexual adaptability in groups with low neuroticism and high ratings in other personality factors. Compared with boys, girls demonstrated lower sexual self-adaptability, and their overall sexual adaptability was more susceptible to the family environment.

Violent Victimization and Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Romantic Relationships and Sexual Activity

Violent victimization in adolescence spurs risk-taking behaviors (e.g., violent offending and substance use/abuse), undermines mental well-being, disrupts developmental transitions, and even has interpersonal and relational consequences. Adolescent victims initiate earlier and progress faster through sexual and romantic relationships. Because the reasons for the links between victimization and relationship behaviors remain unclear, we explored how violent victimization might shape how adolescents think and feel about intimate/romantic relationships. We focus specifically on interest in forming relationships and expectations about intimate/sexual activity occurring within relationships. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; n = 10,570 [54% girls; 56% non-Hispanic white; ages 11-18]), we found that adolescent victims of violence were more pessimistic about marriage and more favorable toward sexual activity, with patterns varying by age at victimization and gender. Late adolescent victims were marginally more interested in romantic relationships but were pessimistic about marriage. Early adolescent and girl victims were less favorable toward sexual activity in relationships, while later adolescent and boy victims were more permissive. Violent victimization may foster problematic attitudes toward intimate relationships, which may account for previously observed increased involvement in risky relational and sex behaviors.

Associations between Home- and School-Based Violent Experiences and the Development of Sexual Behavior in Young Adolescent Girls in the Rural Southern Region of Malawi

Studies show that adolescent girls who experience violence grow up with fear and develop survival mechanisms that increase their susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections including HIV. However, the relationship between violence and the development of sexual behavior in young adolescent girls is under-investigated. We examined the Malawi Schooling and Adolescent Study data to explore the associations between home- and school-based violence and sexual behaviors in 416 young adolescent girls in rural Southern Malawi. Bivariate Logistic Regression analysis was applied to determine associations. Of 353 (84.9%) girls who had sex with a male partner, 123 (34.8%) experienced home-based violence, and 53 (15%) experienced school-based violence. The odds of girls who experienced home-based violence (OR = 2.46, 95% CI = 1.21, 5.01) and those who first experienced home-based violence between 13 and 14 years (OR = 2.78, 95% CI = 1.35, 5.74) were higher among girls who had multiple sexual partners than those with a single sexual partner. With school-based violence, sexual initiation, having multiple sexual partners, and not using protection were positively associated with experiencing teasing, sexual comments, punching, and touching in private areas in transit to school and by a teacher. These results suggest that home- and school-based violence should be essential components of research and biobehavioral interventions targeting the sexual behaviors of young adolescent girls.

A Multicountry Study of the Violence-Related Risk Factors for Early Sexual Debut and Risky Sexual Behavior in Adolescents

Globally, the prevalence of adolescent sexual intercourse and violence is high. However, to date, no study has investigated the association between violence and sexual behavior in a large representative sample of adolescents, while multicountry studies are also lacking. The objective was thus to examine the relationship between being physically attacked and physical fighting with sexual intercourse, multiple sexual partners, and non-condom use among adolescents aged 12 to 15 years from 43 low- and middle-income countries. Cross-sectional data from 127,513 adolescents participating in the Global School-based Student Health Survey 2003-2016 were analyzed. Data on being physically attacked and physical fighting were assessed through self-report. Data on sexual behavior were collected as follows: (a) ever having had intercourse; among those who reported having had intercourse, (b) multiple (≥2) lifetime sexual partners, and (c) condom use in last sexual intercourse. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis with violence as the exposure and sexual behavior as the outcome, with odds ratios being estimated. Physical attack was dose-dependently and significantly associated with all three sexual behavior outcomes with it being associated with 1.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.16, 1.74]), 2.13 (95% CI = [1.39, 3.27]), and 1.48 (95% CI = [1.10, 2.00]) times higher odds for sexual intercourse, condom non-use, and multiple sex partners, respectively, when the highest category was compared with the lowest (i.e., ≥4 times vs. 0 times). As for physical fights, compared with not being in a fight in the past 12 months, being in a fight ≥4 times was associated with 2.34 (95% CI = [2.03, 2.70]) and 1.98 (95% CI = [1.56, 2.52]) times higher odds for sexual intercourse and multiple sex partners, respectively. In conclusion, in a large global sample of adolescents, physical attack and physical fight were associated with greater risk of engaging in sexual behavior. Multidimensional government programs and policies addressing violence in young adolescents may lead to reduction in early sexual debut and other risky sexual behavior.