Patterns of initiation of sex and drug-related activities among urban low-income African-American adolescents

Purpose: To examine the pattern of adolescent's involvement in drug-related behaviors and sexual initiation, and its relationship with: (a) age and ge nder, (b) sensation- seeking, (c) perceptions of peer and family risk invol vement, and (d) involvement in high-risk sexual behavior. Subjects: Two hundred and sixty-one urban African-American youth, aged 9 to 15 years at baseline, who were sexually experienced by the end of the 4-ye ar study interval. The longitudinal assessment (4 years) was focused on: (a ) alcohol use, illicit drug use, and drug trafficking; (b) highrisk sex; (c ) propensity to sensation seeking; and (d) perceived peer and family risk i nvolvement, Results: Involvement increased over the 4-year study interval such that ove r half of the adolescents reported use of alcohol and/or use of marijuana i n the final assessment period. For each of the three drug-related activitie s examined, the largest proportion of youth who engaged in sexual intercour se never engaged in drug-related activity, and the next largest proportion initiated sexual involvement before drug use. Sensation-seeking scores, whi ch were relatively stable across time, were lower among girls, and also wer e lower among youth who remained uninvolved in drug-related behaviors. For all three drug-related behaviors, rates of high-risk sex were higher among youth who initiated both sex and drugs, and were lower among youth who repo rted engaging only in sex. Although youth who did eventually initiate drug use had higher perceived levels of family and peer drug use compared to tho se who remained uninvolved, these perceptions did not contribute directly t o high-risk sexual behavior. Conclusions: Youth who will become both sexually active and involved with d rugs during adolescence are especially vulnerable to involvement in high-ri sk sexual behavior. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2000.