Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice
Published on: March 15, 2024
Depressive symptoms, gender, and sexual risk behavior among African-American adolescents: implications for prevention
Keisha Carr Paxton1, W LaVome Robinson
1Department of Psychiatry, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, 1731 E. 120th Street, Building N, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA. keishapaxton@cdrewu.edu
Abstract:
African-American youths are disproportionately affected by deleterious outcomes associated with risky sexual activity. Arguably, females are at greater risk for these adverse outcomes due to physiological and emotional risk factors, such as depression. The current study examines the relationship between depressive symptomology and sexual risk behavior within a sample of 1,970 inner-city, economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents in grades nine and eleven. The findings of this study support a relationship between sexual risk behavior and depressive symptomology for the sample, such that as depressive symptomology increases so does sexual risk behavior. Furthermore, an interaction for gender was found, with depressive symptomology being a stronger predictor of sexual risk behavior for African-American females as compared to African-American males. Implications of these findings for the design of prevention programs specifically tailored to African-American adolescent women are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Amebiasis
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Conduct Disorder
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Sex Linked Disorders

