Analyzing the role of single parenting on African American adolescent sexual activity and condom use by gender

Abstract

HIV/AIDS continues to be one of the leading causes of death for African Americans. The African-American rate of HIV/AIDS infection is six times higher than that for Caucasians (CDC, 2006). Not only has an HIV/AIDS impacted African American adult, but African-American youth are also disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS (CDC, HIV/AIDS among Youth: Fact Sheet, 2006). Compared to other youth, new infection rates for African American adolescent HIV incidence have remained steady; not resulting in a decrease despite over twenty years of prevention education and intervention. As the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to devastate the African American community increases in sustainable community prevention interventions that address racial, cultural, age, and gender specific differences are sorely needed. This research study of the Risk Reduction Project examined the role that single parenting plays on the HIV/AIDS sexual behaviors of African American youth residing in a Midwest community. Overall, the results from this study indicate that the theory of reasoned action was effective in predicting sexual behavior, however, gender differences existed. Despite reporting greater levels of sexual activity and condom use, male participant sexual intentions and behaviors were found to be more positively impacted by parent subjective norms than female participants. Female sexual intentions, on the other hand, were negatively impacted by parent subjective norms. For participants residing in single mother households, males were found to be significantly impacted by mother referent subjective norm while females were negatively impacted.