The Longitudinal Relationship between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Risky Sex Among African American Girls in Juvenile Detention: The Moderating Effects of Sexual Sensation Seeking and Parental Monitoring

Background and Significance: Public health scholars have used broken windows theory to suggest that economic disadvantage, structural disinvestment, and poor access to health care might contribute to reduced health outcomes, such as high sexually transmitted infections (STIs). African American with juvenile justice histories bears the highest burden of STIs relative to the same race and other race counterparts from the general population. However, there are limited studies focused on African American girls with detention histories, despite their significant STI vulnerabilities and none that have applied broken windows theory to sexual risk behaviors using longitudinal designs or examined how parental monitoring or sexual sensation seeking might moderate this relationship. This study addressed these major gaps in the extant literature.

Methods: Among a sample of 188 African American girls with detention histories, longitudinal data using audio computer assisted self-interview technology assessed measures for neighborhood disorder, sexual risk behaviors, sexual sensation seeking, parental monitoring, and demographics at baseline, 3- and 6-months periods. Hierarchical multiple regression was calculated to examine the relationship between broken windows index at wave 1 and risky sexual behaviors at wave 3, controlling for age, family aid, family composition, and risky sex at baseline.

Results: The results indicated that youths who reported high levels of risky sexual behaviors at the first wave were more likely to report high levels of risky sexual behaviors at the last wave. Youths who reported high levels of broken windows index at the first wave were more likely to be involved in risky sexual behaviors at the last wave. Youth who reported high levels of sexual sensation seeking at the second wave were more likely to be involved in risky sexual behaviors at the last wave. Youth who reported high levels of parental monitoring were less likely to be involved in risky sexual behaviors at the last wave. Parental monitoring buffered the relationship between poor neighborhood condition (i.e. broken windows index) and youths’ risky sexual behaviors, at baseline and following discharge from detention.

Conclusion and Implications: Structural disadvantage is a major factor implicated in youth sexual behaviors. This study showed that parental monitoring functions are still protective even in the presence of structural and neighborhood disadvantage. Programs and services that provide monitoring type support for youth living in high need communities might provide important public health advantages to these youth and their sexual networks.