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Child Maltreatment and Risky Sexual Behavior.
Richard Thompson1, Terri Lewis2, Elizabeth C Neilson3
11 Juvenile Protective Association, Chicago, IL, USA.
Child Maltreatment
|October 26, 2016
Summary
Child maltreatment, including neglect and emotional abuse, increases risky sexual behavior in adolescents. Trauma symptoms are a key pathway linking maltreatment to unprotected sex and reduced sexual assertiveness.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Psychology
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Risky sexual behavior is a significant public health concern.
- Child sexual abuse is a known risk factor, but other forms of maltreatment also contribute.
- Understanding the mechanisms linking maltreatment to risky sexual behavior is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between various forms of child maltreatment and risky sexual behavior in high-risk youth.
- To examine the mediating roles of trauma symptoms and substance use in this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 859 high-risk youth followed to age 18.
- Maltreatment forms were officially recorded.
- Trauma symptoms and substance use assessed at age 16.
- Risky sexual behavior (multiple partners, unprotected sex, sexual refusal assertiveness) assessed at age 18.
Main Results:
- Neglect predicted unprotected sex.
- Substance use predicted unprotected sex and multiple partners but did not mediate maltreatment effects.
- Trauma symptoms predicted unprotected sex and mediated the impact of emotional maltreatment and sexual abuse on unprotected sex and assertiveness.
Conclusions:
- Neglect and emotional maltreatment are significant factors in adolescent risky sexual behavior.
- Trauma symptoms represent a critical pathway linking child maltreatment to increased sexual risk.
- Interventions should address trauma symptoms and all forms of child maltreatment to reduce risky sexual behavior.