Risks among youths who have multiple sisters who were adolescent parents

Context: Past research has revealed that having a sister who gave birth as a teenager is associated with increases in young people's likelihood of eng aging in risky sexual behavior. To date, however, no study has determined i f having several sisters who were adolescent mothers further raises youths' chances of engaging in risky activities. Methods: Data were collected from 1,510 predominantly Hispanic and black 11 -17-year-olds in a California program for youths who have at least one preg nant or parenting sister. Correlational analyses, analyses of variance and regression analyses were conducted to assess the effects of having multiple teenage parenting sisters on a variety of outcomes that are known risk fac tors for teenage pregnancy. Results: Twenty-four percent of participants had two or more sisters who ha d given birth as teenagers. The likelihood of having multiple adolescent pa renting sisters was greatest in large families, but was unrelated to youths ' other background characteristics. In analyses controlling for background factors, females with many parenting sisters had increased levels of behavi oral problems (school problems, drug or alcohol use, and delinquent behavio r) and an elevated likelihood of being sexually experienced. Having lived w ith two or more parenting sisters (as opposed to having lived with only one ) was related to more permissive sexual and childbearing attitudes among yo ung women and to earlier first intercourse among young men. Males with a si ster who gave birth at a young age had elevated levels of delinquent behavi or and promiscuous sexual behavior. Conclusions: As the number of teenage parenting sisters rises, youths' - pa rticularly females' - risk of pregnancy involvement increases beyond the le vel associated with having only one teenage parenting sister. Screening for the number, living situation and age at first birth of parenting sisters i s likely to be useful for programs seeking to identify youths at high risk of an early pregnancy.