( A new study from the Bradley Hasbro Chi...)New HIV study identifies high-risk subgroups of adolescents

A new study from the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center and Brown Medical School unveils profiles of adolescents at the greatest risk for HIV. Amongst a group of high-risk teens, researchers found that those at highest risk for the disease (those who engaged in the most unprotected sex acts) were mostly white males with mental health problems.

Prior studies have found that risky sexual behavior is often associated with mental health issues and other high-risk behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, school problems, delinquency and suicide attempts. However, this is one of the first studies to show that not all high-risk adolescents have the same types of risk behaviors, and therefore some are at higher risk for HIV than others. The authors found that there are subgroups within a high-risk population in which patterns of risks like unprotected sex, mental health crises and substance abuse exist at the same time, and also vary by gender.

“This study tells us that not all risky adolescents have the same risk behaviors and that the patterns seem to be different between boys and girls. It's also important because it suggests that programs designed for adolescents?specific risk profiles may be most useful in helping them change their behavior,?says lead author, Christopher Houck, PhD, a psychologist with the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center.

The study appears in the July 2006 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

Researchers identified three patterns of risk behavior among 1,153 high-risk boys and three patterns among high-risk girls ages 15-21 in Atlanta, Miami, and Providence. They found that the group of boys at highest risk for HIV (i.e., practiced the most unprotected sex) also had more mental health problems, such as psychiatric hospitalization or suicide attempts, than other study participants. By contrast, amongst the girls, two distinct profiles emerged: the cluster with the highest amount of unsafe sex repo
'"/>

Source:Lifespan

Page: 1 2 3
Related biology news :

1. Bioartificial kidney under study at MCG
2. W.M. Keck Foundation funds study of friendly microbes
3. Yellowstone microbes fueled by hydrogen, according to U. of Colorado study
4. Genome-wide mouse study yields link to human leukemia
5. Clam embryo study shows pollutant mixture adversely affects nerve cell development
6. New imaging method gives early indication if brain cancer therapy is effective, U-M study shows
7. Same mutation aided evolution in many fish species, Stanford study finds
8. Sequencing of marine bacterium will help study of cell communication
9. Genetically modified rice in China benefits farmers health, study finds
10. A new study examines how shared pathogens affect host populations
11. NYU study reveals how brains immune system fights viral encephalitis