The Association Between African American Parent-Child Sex Communication and Adolescent Condomless Sex.

African American adolescents are at elevated risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Risk reduction efforts have focused on parent-child communications, despite inconsistent findings regarding their association with adolescent sexual risk behaviors. The present study included sexually active African American adolescents and their parents/guardians (N = 125 dyads). All participants reported on frequency of sexual health conversations and adolescents reported recent occasions of protected and condomless sex. Analyses examined the congruence between parent-child communication reports and the association between this congruence and adolescent condomless sex. Parents and adolescents disagreed on the frequency of sexual health communication: 30% of parents reported such conversations as frequent, whereas only 2% of adolescents did. Parent-reported sex communication was negatively associated with adolescent condomless sex, while adolescent-reported communication was not. The moderation hypothesis was supported in that adolescent-reported sex communication was negatively associated with adolescent condomless sex only among parent-child dyads high in agreement on sexual health communication. Promoting parent-child conversations regarding sexual health, with attention to relational characteristics of the conversations, offers a promising approach to sexual health promotion and disease prevention for African American youth.

Using actor-partner interdependence modeling to understand HPV vaccine acceptance.

A wealth of scientific literature has been devoted to understanding what factors influence parents and their adolescent children to obtain the HPV vaccine. This literature is relatively uniform in its methodological approach of sampling individuals (i.e., either parents or adolescents) and examining the predictors of uptake for that individual. To improve understanding of HPV vaccination uptake, we sampled low-income, African American parent-child dyads with either a female (n = 93) or a male (n = 116) adolescent who had not been vaccinated. Both parents and children completed self-report measures that tapped intent to receive the vaccine and hypothesized predictors of intent (i.e., self-efficacy, beliefs about the vaccine, beliefs about HPV, knowledge of HPV). Using a dyadic analytic approach (i.e., the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model or APIM) [1], we found that parents and their adolescents have different structures of beliefs regarding HPV vaccination (i.e., they are empirically distinguishable). Consistent with prior research, the majority of predictors of an individual's own intention to vaccinate were individual-level variables; uniquely though, some predictors endorsed by one member of the dyad influenced the intentions held by the other member. Specifically, parents' reports of HPV severity and their self-efficacy were both associated with adolescents' intent to obtain the vaccine. Further, adolescents' beliefs that the vaccine will lead to greater promiscuity or be stigmatizing were associated with parents holding an increased intent to vaccinate. Use APIM improves understanding of HPV vaccination uptake and can be used to guide intervention efforts.

Male human papillomavirus vaccine acceptance is enhanced by a brief intervention that emphasizes both male-specific vaccine benefits and altruistic motives.

BACKGROUND: Although female human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine acceptance has been widely studied, research on vaccine uptake among boys and men is needed. Male HPV vaccination can provide both individual and community-level benefit by offering recipients personal health protection while concurrently minimizing HPV transmission and ultimately providing female health protection. As such, male vaccine acceptance may be enhanced by emphasizing both altruistic motives (female health protection) and personal health benefits. METHODS: A university-based sample of young men completed computer-administered surveys and viewed informational interventions that varied in the inclusion or exclusion of altruistic motives and in the level of emphasis on male-specific HPV-related illnesses and vaccine benefits. Human papillomavirus vaccine acceptance was assessed immediately after intervention. RESULTS: Participants who received the intervention emphasizing both altruistic motives and male-specific information endorsed the greatest vaccine acceptance (mean [SD], 3.6 [1.0]). CONCLUSION: Provider and community-level interventions highlighting both altruistic motives and personal health vaccine benefits may enhance HPV vaccine uptake among young men.

Does family history of alcohol problems influence college and university drinking or substance use? A meta-analytical review.

AIMS: Family history of alcohol use problems is a reliable determinant of alcohol use and problems in the population at large, but findings are inconsistent when this issue is examined in college and university students. No quantitative summary of this literature has been reported to date. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis on the effects of family history on substance use and abuse in college and university students. METHODS: A two-group contrast meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the differences in substance use and abuse between family history-positive and -negative students pursuing higher education. The studies that contributed data to this meta-analysis were conducted in five countries, with the majority of studies from the United States. A total of 65 published papers (53 samples) contributed data from 89 766 participants attending university or college. Effect sizes were coded for alcohol consumption, problems and use disorder symptoms, as well as other illegal drug use and abuse. Two independent coders calculated effect sizes and coded descriptive content about the papers, and discrepancies were reconciled. Family history was used as the grouping variable. RESULTS: Family history had a minimal effect on alcohol consumption, with stronger effects on alcohol consequences (Cohen's d: 0.21-0.25), alcohol use disorder symptoms (Cohen's d: 0.24) and other drug involvement (Cohen's d: 0.37-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: Relative to students without a family history of alcohol problems, students with positive family histories do not drink more, but may be at greater risk for difficulties with alcohol and drugs.

Partner notification after STD and HIV exposures and infections: knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of Massachusetts men who have sex with men.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed Boston-area men who have sex with men (MSM) in terms of their knowledge of partner notification (PN)/partner counseling and referral services (PCRS) and intentions to use such services if exposed to/infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the future. METHODS: The study used a convenience sample of STD clinic patients (n=48) and a modified respondent-driven sampling method (n=70) to reach a diverse sample of MSM (total sample n=118) in Massachusetts. Participants completed a one-on-one, open-ended, semistructured qualitative interview and quantitative survey. RESULTS: Overall, white, HIV-infected MSM had the highest level of knowledge about PN activities. MSM who were unfamiliar with PN were disproportionately nonwhite and HIV-uninfected. Participants were more likely to notify past partners of HIV exposure than STD exposure. The preferred method of PN for the majority of MSM was direct person-to-person notification. Notably, nonwhite participants were more likely to endorse Massachusetts Department of Public Health PN services than white MSM, who preferred involvement of primary care providers. CONCLUSIONS: PN is an important public health strategy for treating and preventing STDs and HIV among at-risk populations, especially MSM who engage in sexual behavior with anonymous or otherwise non-notifiable sexual partners. Although many MSM had an understanding of the ethical desirability of informing exposed partners and recognized the value of preventative behaviors, they require further education to overcome barriers to PN as well as to gain knowledge of the various methods of both traditional and nontraditional notification, such as Internet PN.