Feelings Matter: Depression Severity and Emotion Regulation in HIV/STI Risk-Related Sexual Behaviors

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Mental Health

Background:

• Existing HIV/STI prevention models may not adequately address the psychological needs of adolescents with mental illnesses.
• Understanding contextual factors is crucial for developing effective interventions for this vulnerable population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine factors related to HIV/STI risk among Black adolescents with mental illnesses.
• To inform the development of targeted HIV/STI prevention strategies for this demographic.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 53 Black adolescents (aged 14-17) from mental health programs in Philadelphia, PA.
• Utilized computer-assisted personalized interviews to collect data on sociodemographics, sexual behaviors, and emotion regulation.
• Employed t-tests, Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests, and regression modeling to analyze data by gender and relationship status.

Main Results:

• High rates of sexual partner concurrency were reported (67.3% in a relationship, 42.3% multiple partners same day).
• Adolescent males reported significantly more risk behaviors than females.
• Sadness dysregulation, coping difficulties, and depression severity were linked to specific sexual risk behaviors and relationship patterns.

Conclusions:

• HIV/STI prevention research must incorporate emotion regulation and coping mechanisms for Black adolescents with mental illnesses.
• Psycho-education and skills-building interventions can potentially mitigate psychopathology contributing to HIV/STI risk.