Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Sep;55(3):380-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.02.023. Epub 2014 Apr 19.

Predictors of co-occurring risk behavior trajectories among economically disadvantaged African-American youth: contextual and individual factors

Emma M Sterrett  1 , Allison B Dymnicki  2 , David Henry  3 , Gayle R Byck  4 , John Bolland  5 , Brian Mustanski  4
Affiliations

Predictors of co-occurring risk behavior trajectories among economically disadvantaged African-American youth: contextual and individual factors

Emma M Sterrett et al. J Adolesc Health. 2014 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: African-American youth, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, evidence high rates of negative outcomes associated with three problem behaviors, conduct problems, risky sexual behavior, and substance use. This study used a contextually tailored version of problem behavior theory (PBT) to examine predictors of the simultaneous development of problem behaviors in this specific cultural group.

Methods: Sociocontextual and individual variables representing four PBT predictor categories, controls protection, support protection, models risk, and vulnerability risk, were examined as predictors of co-occurring problem behaviors among economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents (n = 949). Specifically, the likelihood of following three classes of multiple problem behavior trajectories spanning ages 12-18, labeled the "early experimenters," "increasing high risk-takers," and "adolescent-limited" classes, as opposed to a "normative" class, was examined.

Results: Among other findings, controls protection in the form of a more stringent household curfew at age 12 was related to a lower likelihood of being in the "early experimenters" and "increasing high risk-takers" classes. Conversely, vulnerability risk manifested as stronger attitudes of violence inevitability was associated with a higher likelihood of being in the "early experimenters" class. However, the PBT category of support protection was not associated with risk trajectory class. More distal neighborhood-level manifestations of PBT categories also did not predict co-occurring behavior problems.

Conclusion: Guided by an incorporation of contextually salient processes into PBT, prevention programs aiming to decrease co-occurring problem behaviors among low-income African-American adolescents would do well to target both proximal systems and psychological constructs related to perceived security throughout adolescence.

Keywords: African-American; Low-income; Problem behavior theory; Risk behaviors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sample Selection Design
Figure 2
Figure 2
Engagement in Risk Behaviors By Trajectory Class
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Biglan A, Brennan PA, Foster SL, et al. Helping Adolescents at Risk: Prevention of Multiple Problem Behaviors. New York: Guilford; 2005.
    1. Jessor R, Jessor SL. Problem Behavior and Psychosocial Development: A Longitudinal Study of Youth. New York: Academic Press; 1977.
    1. Jail Inmates at Midyear 2009. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Annual; 2010.
    1. Bonczar TP. Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974–2001. Bureau of Justice Statistics 2003. Retrieved 1/17/2011 from http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=836.
    1. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2012. Washington, DC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2012. Estimated HIV Incidence Among Adults and Adolescents in the United States, 2007–2010.

Publication types