Correlates of African American female adolescent offenders 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy") use and sexually transmitted infection morbidity

Educational technologies on sexually transmitted infections for incarcerated women

OBJECTIVE

to analyze in the scientific literature the educational technologies on sexually transmitted infections used in health education for incarcerated women.

METHOD

an integrative review carried out by searching for articles in the following databases: Scopus, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health, Education Resources Information Center, PsycInFO, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Latin American Literature in Health Sciences, Cochrane, and the ScienceDirect electronic library. There were no language and time restrictions. A search strategy was developed in PubMed and later adapted to the other databases.

RESULTS

a total of 823 studies were initially identified and, after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight articles were selected. Most of them were developed in the United States with a predominance of randomized clinical trials. The technologies identified were of the printed materials type, isolated or associated to simulators of genital organs, videos, and games.

CONCLUSION

the technologies on sexually transmitted infections used in health education for incarcerated women may contribute to adherence to the prevention of this serious public health problem in the context of deprivation of liberty.

Integrating Individual and Contextual Factors to Explain Disparities in HIV/STI Among Heterosexual African American Youth: A Contemporary Literature Review and Social Ecological Model

Heterosexual African American youth face substantial disparities in sexual health consequences such as HIV and STI. Based on the social ecological framework, the current paper provides a comprehensive, narrative review of the past 14 years of literature examining HIV/STI risk, including risky sexual behavior, among heterosexual African American youth and a conceptual model of risk among this population. The review found that individual psychological and biological factors are insufficient to explain the sexual health disparities faced by this group; instead, structural disadvantage, interpersonal risk, and community dysfunction contribute to the disparity in HIV/STI outcomes directly and indirectly through individual psychological factors. The conceptual model presented suggests that for African American youth, (1) HIV/STI risk commonly begins at the structural level and trickles down to the community, social, and individual levels, (2) risk works in a positive feedback system such that downstream effects compound the influence of structural risks, and (3) contextual and individual risk factors must be considered within the advanced stage of the epidemic facing this population. Despite advanced HIV and STI epidemics among heterosexual African American youth, multisystemic interventions that target structural risk factors and their downstream effects are posited to reduce the disparity among this high-risk population.

Substance Use and HIV Among Justice-Involved Youth: Intersecting Risks

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review discusses recent advances in research on the intersection of HIV prevention and substance use among youth involved with the justice system. We discuss current themes of recent findings and provide guidance for researchers, policymakers, and clinicians on the next steps in advancing work in this nascent area.

RECENT FINDINGS

Of the 46 studies that measured HIV risk and substance use among justice-involved youth, 56% were cross-sectional designs, 22% were intervention trials, and 22% were longitudinal designs. Cross-sectional studies suggested that substance use is highly associated with HIV risk behaviors. Longitudinal analyses underscored the importance of understanding contextual risk factors, such as trauma and violence. Intervention trials demonstrated improved scientific rigor of behavioral approaches. Despite recent advances, research in this field remains limited. Future directions include longer follow-up periods, consideration of biomedical HIV-prevention interventions, and a focus on dissemination and implementation science of efficacious interventions.

Health beliefs and behaviours in relation to sexually transmitted infections among South Korean juvenile offenders: A focused ethnography study

AIM

This study explored health beliefs and behaviours related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from the perspective of juvenile offenders with STIs in three urban cities.

METHODS

Data were collected using observations and in-depth interviews between July and November, 2014. Under the supervision of probation officers, 24 juvenile offenders with STIs were interviewed. Leininger's four-step method guided the data analysis.

FINDINGS

From participants' perspectives, poor hygiene and a promiscuous lifestyle caused the STIs. The diseases were considered an adult disease with distinct symptoms and deformities, no cure, and therefore fatal. STIs were shameful for juveniles because their presence revealed sexually active behaviours. The juveniles' health-related behaviours included neglecting their STI symptoms because they did not know they were infected, mistaking STIs for other health conditions, choosing to suffer rather than revealing their diagnosis, and keeping their genitals clean.

CONCLUSION

A large gap emerged between juveniles' beliefs and behaviours related to STIs. Policies and education are needed to provide accurate STI information for this population.