Use of psychoactive substances and sexual risk behavior in adolescents

This study investigated the relationship between the use of illicit drugs and sexual-risk-behavior in a sample of students aged 14 to 21 years at a public high school in São Paulo in 1997. A total of 689 useable questionnaires documented the sample in consumption of psychoactive substances and sexual behavior. Sexual behavior of drug users and non-users was compared regarding history of complete sexual intercourse, age at first sexual intercourse, use of condoms, sexual intercourse with sex workers, and prostitution. Drug users (N = 366) presented a higher frequency of complete sexual intercourse (80.8% of users versus 53.5% of non-users), (N = 323, p < .001), a younger age at first sexual intercourse (on average 15.2 years in users versus 15.7 among non-users, p < .005), a trend toward lower use of condoms (56.7% among users versus 65.3% among non-users, p < .1), and more sexual intercourse with sex workers (31.1% among users versus 15% among non-users, p < .001). Sexual-risk-behavior increased with the number of drugs used. Alcohol and marijuana use were associated with the highest sexual-risk-behavior. These data are essential for the development of more specific preventive strategies, focusing on male alcohol and marijuana users.