UNEMPLOYMENT AND SEXUAL RISK-TAKING AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Citation
A. Hammarstrom et U. Janlert, UNEMPLOYMENT AND SEXUAL RISK-TAKING AMONG ADOLESCENTS, Scandinavian journal of social medicine, 25(4), 1997, pp. 266-270
Citations number
21
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath
ISSN journal
03008037
Volume
25
Issue
4
Year of publication
1997
Pages
266 - 270
Database
ISI
SICI code
0300-8037(1997)25:4<266:UASRAA>2.0.ZU;2-4
Abstract
Sexual risk-taking can lead to serious consequences. This study addres sed the question of how sexual risk-taking was influenced by unemploym ent. A cohort of 1060 adolescents were followed from their last term i n compulsory school and five years ahead until the age of 21. Sexual r isk-taking, defined as unprotected intercourse without wishing to conc eive, was studied with the help of a questionnaire at the beginning an d at the end of the period. For men there was a positive correlation b etween the length of unemployment and increase in risk-laking during t he period. but for women there was a (statistically non-significant) n egative correlation. In a logistic regression analysis, having childre n also had a significant effect on increased risk-taking among men. Un employment thus implies increased sexual risk-taking among adolescent men.