The role of daily stressors in Mexican adolescent normative sexuality

• In Event: 3-194 - Multilevel Risk Factors and Sexual Behavior in Diverse Adolescents

Integrative Statement

Introduction: Although Latino youth experience stressors common to all adolescents, such as school hassles and peer conflicts (Barrera, Hageman, & Gonzales, 2004), much attention has been given to economic stressors, and their effects on risk outcomes, including drug use and risky sexual activity, in this population (Roosa et al., 2009; Santiago et al., 2016; Wadsworth et al., 2008). Few studies have explored the role of these stressors in Mexican adolescent normative sexual behaviors. Thus, we examined whether economic, school, and peer stressors were associated with sexual behaviors including heavy petting, performing and receiving oral sex, and vaginal intercourse. We also studied the role of environmental (school type) and individual (age, and risk proneness) factors in these associations.
Method: Mexican adolescents (N=1123; Mage = 15.07, SDage = 1.52, 54% girls), attending two public schools (71% middle school) in Puebla, Mexico, completed surveys including: a) three subscales (family economic stressors, school stressors, and peer stressors) of The Multicultural Events Scale for Adolescents (MESA; Gonzales, Gunnoe, Samaniego & Jackson, 1995); b) demographics such as gender, age, romantic relationships status; c) risk proneness measure; d) sexual behaviors (i.e. heavy petting, receive oral, perform oral, and vaginal sex).
Results: To examine associations between stressors (family economic, school and peer), and sexual behaviors (heavy petting, receive oral, perform oral, and vaginal sex) and the role of school type, age and risk proneness in these associations, we performed twelve hierarchical logistic regressions (three per outcome; See Tables 1 and 2 for heavy petting and receive oral models). We found main effects indicating that school and peer stressors were associated with higher likelihood of having engaged in heavy petting, perform oral, and vaginal sex. School type and risk proneness moderated one association, whereas age moderated five associations. The positive association between peer stressors and vaginal sex was stronger for students at the larger and higher income school. In general, stressors were more strongly associated with sexual behavior at younger ages. For instance, more economic, or peer stressors were associated with higher likelihood of engaging in heavy petting and/or receiving oral sex, especially among early adolescents. The positive association between peer stressors and heavy petting was stronger for adolescents with higher risk proneness.
Discussion: This study emphasizes the role of daily stressors on Mexican adolescent normative sexual behaviors in the context of individual factors such as age and risk proneness. In contrast to previous U. S. studies conducted among low income Latinos (Roosa et al., 2009), peer and school stressors, compared to economic stressors, were better predictors of sexual activity. More stressors were associated with higher likelihood of engaging in sex. Age, however, played an important role in better understanding how these stressors impact adolescent sexuality. Experiencing more stressors was linked to sexual experience, especially during early adolescence, a period where engaging in sexual behavior may be risky, as opposed to a normative and healthy part of development (Zimmer-Gembeck & Helfand, 2008). Thus, this study contributes to our understanding of the link between stressors, and Mexican adolescent sexual development.

Authors

• Graciela Espinosa-Hernández, University of North Carolina Wilmington
  Presenting Author

• Kirstianna Lombardi, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
  Non-Presenting Author

• David Garcia, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rebeca Garcia-Carpenter, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sara A Vasilenko, Syracuse University
  Non-Presenting Author