Marijuana use, alcohol use, and sexual intercourse among truant adolescents. 2020

Hannah R Graves, and Lynn Hernandez, and Christopher W Kahler, and Anthony Spirito
Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Adolescence is a time in development when many initiate problem behaviors, including alcohol use, marijuana use, and sexual intercourse. Although research has shown that these behaviors tend to co-occur, little is known about their daily co-occurrences, particularly among high-risk groups such as truant adolescents. This study investigated the influence of marijuana and alcohol use on the odds of engaging in sexual intercourse on a daily level among a sample of truant adolescents. Methods: Daily-level data from 76 at-risk, truant adolescents (46 male, 30 female) between the ages of 13 and 19 years who reported alcohol use, marijuana use, and sexual intercourse over a 90-day retrospective recall period were analyzed. Results: General estimating equations analyzing 6840 days and controlling for age, gender, and school days demonstrated that the use of marijuana and/or alcohol on a given day were associated with significantly increased odds of engaging in sexual intercourse on the same day. A significant interaction suggested that marijuana use on a given day increased the odds of engaging in sexual intercourse on that day among occasional marijuana users, yet not among frequent users. Additionally, a significant interaction suggested that frequent alcohol users had higher odds of engaging in sexual intercourse than those who used alcohol less frequently. Conclusions: This study suggests that experimenting with marijuana and alcohol increases truant adolescents' odds of also engaging in sexual intercourse. These results bridge the gap in the literature by investigating the daily-level associations and frequency of substance use and sexual intercourse among truant adolescents. This study demonstrates that among truant adolescents, substance use and sexual intercourse do not function independently; therefore, it is important to address the intersection between substance use and sexual behaviors during intervention development if sustained behavioral change is expected.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D003075 Coitus The sexual union of a male and a female, a term used for human only. Sexual Intercourse,Coital Frequency,First Intercourse,Coital Frequencies,First Intercourses,Frequencies, Coital,Frequency, Coital,Intercourse, First,Intercourse, Sexual,Intercourses, First
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000074609 Marijuana Use Medicinal or recreational utilization of MARIJUANA. Marijuana-Related Disorder,Recreational Marijuana Use,Disorder, Marijuana-Related,Disorders, Marijuana-Related,Marijuana Related Disorder,Marijuana Use, Recreational,Marijuana Uses,Marijuana Uses, Recreational,Marijuana-Related Disorders,Recreational Marijuana Uses,Use, Marijuana,Use, Recreational Marijuana,Uses, Marijuana,Uses, Recreational Marijuana
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000428 Alcohol Drinking Behaviors associated with the ingesting of ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, including social drinking. Alcohol Consumption,Alcohol Intake,Drinking, Alcohol,Alcohol Drinking Habits,Alcohol Drinking Habit,Alcohol Intakes,Consumption, Alcohol,Drinking Habit, Alcohol,Habit, Alcohol Drinking,Habits, Alcohol Drinking,Intake, Alcohol
D012189 Retrospective Studies Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons. Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D055815 Young Adult A person between 19 and 24 years of age. Adult, Young,Adults, Young,Young Adults

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