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Psychological Distress as a Primer for Sexual Risk Taking Among Emerging Adults
Delishia M Pittman1, Cassandra Riedy Rush1, Sarah Litt1
1Graduate School of Education and Human Development, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Abstract:
Emerging adults experience increased morbidity as a result of psychological distress and risky sexual behavior. This study examines how sexual behaviors (e.g., condom use inconsistency and past year STI history) differ among emerging adults with low, moderate, and high psychological distress. Participants are 251,254 emerging adults attending colleges and universities in the United States who participated in the National College Health Assessment (NCHA). Findings suggest a dose-response relationship between psychological distress, condom use inconsistency, and past STI history, such that an association between greater psychological distress and condom use inconsistency and/or past year history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
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