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
. 2019;28(2):113-118.
doi: 10.1080/1067828x.2019.1610679. Epub 2019 May 13.

Problem Solving Reduces Sexual Risk Associated with Sensation Seeking, Substance Use, and Depressive Symptoms Among African-American Adolescents

Eugene M Dunne  1   2 , Alyssa L Norris  1   2 , Daniel Romer  3 , Ralph J DiClemente  4 , Peter A Vanable  5 , Robert F Valois  6 , Larry K Brown  2 , Michael P Carey  1   2   7
Affiliations

Problem Solving Reduces Sexual Risk Associated with Sensation Seeking, Substance Use, and Depressive Symptoms Among African-American Adolescents

Eugene M Dunne et al. J Child Adolesc Subst Abuse. 2019.

Abstract

Objective: African-American adolescents experience higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared to same-age Caucasian peers. Substance use, sensation seeking, and depression have all been linked to risky sexual practices. Theory suggests that problem-solving skills may help to buffer against these risk factors.

Method: To test this hypothesis, we used data from African-American adolescents (N = 1018; M age = 16.7, SD = 1.1; 58% female) who participated in a prevention trial.

Results: Nearly half of the sample (47%) reported lifetime marijuana use, while 13% reported drug use prior to most recent sexual encounter. Sexual sensation seeking was directly associated with drug use prior to sex (β = 1.13, b = 0.13, SE = 0.02, p < .001) and lower problem-solving skills (β = -0.08, b = -0.06, SE = 0.02, p = .01). Problem-solving skills were associated with drug use prior to sex (β = 0.92, b = -0.08, SE = 0.03, p = .004), such that those with greater problem-solving skills were less likely to report drug use prior to most recent sex. Lastly, problem solving skills mediated the association between sexual sensation seeking and drug use prior to sex, though the effect was small (β = 0.01, 95% CI: .001, .01).

Conclusions: Problem-solving skills can have a protective influence on risky behavior for adolescents. Future research might examine the utility of strengthening problem-solving skills in order to reduce STI/HIV risk among African American adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescents; drug use; problem-solving; sexual sensation seeking.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Problem-solving mediates association between sexual sensation seeking and drug use prior to sex.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bell AC, & D’Zurilla TJ (2009). Problem-solving therapy for depression: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(4), 348–353. - PubMed
    1. Brawner B, Gomes M, Jemmott L, Deatrick J, & Coleman C (2012). Clinical depression and HIV risk-related sexual behaviors among African-American adolescent females: unmasking the numbers. AIDS Care, 24(5), 618–625. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brener ND, Kann L, McManus T, Kinchen SA, Sundberg EC, & Ross JG (2002). Reliability of the 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Questionnaire. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31(4), 336–342. - PubMed
    1. Brown LK, Tolou-Shams M, Lescano C, Houck C, Zeidman J, Pugatch D, & Lourie KJ (2006). Depressive symptoms as a predictor of sexual risk among African American adolescents and young adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39(3), e1–444. - PubMed
    1. Bryan AD, Schmiege SJ, & Magnan RE (2012). Marijuana use and risky sexual behavior among high-risk adolescents: trajectories, risk factors, and event-level relationships. Developmental Psychology, 48(5), 1429. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources