Poster #173 - The Dual Systems Model and Risky Sexual Behaviors: A Test Across Ten Countries

• In Event: 2-002 - Special Poster Session 05 with Continental Breakfast Reception
  In Poster Session: PS 05 - International Section

Integrative Statement

Risky sexual behaviors remain a salient issue for teens despite numerous effort to ameliorate the problem and their consequences. Goals. To better understand why adolescents engage in these behaviors, the present study applies the dual systems model of adolescent risk taking (Wasserman, Crockett, & Hoffman, 2017). The dual systems model, developed by Steinberg (2008, 2010), is based on evidence from neuroscience that the brain areas related to socioemotional incentive processing system and cognitive control system develops at distinct rates. This discrepancy between the two systems creates a space for adolescent risk taking, or a gap, especially when sensation seeking is high but cognitive control remains low. Additionally, the study adds a test of the effects of parental closeness. Methods. A sample of adolescents and young adults from 10 countries was used in this study, including the US, Czech Republic, Hungary, Japan, Netherland, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Turkey. The sample includes 14,226 participants of 11 to 28 years old with a mean age at 17.90 years old (SD = 2.37). Sensation seeking (Grasmick, Tittle, Bursik, and Arneklev's, 1993) and impulse control (Weinberger & Schwartz, 1990) were measured as indices of the socioemotional incentive processing system and cognitive control system. Four types of risky sexual behaviors were assessed. namely age at onset of sex, number of sex partners, contraceptive use, and STD infections. The sample was divided into 10 groups based on age and a series of t-tests are conducted across groups to examine the mean-level differences in risky sexual behaviors by sex, after the effects by demographics (e.g. age, family structure, SES, and country) were partialled out. Hierarchical regressions were used to test how the discrepancy between sensation seeking and impulse control predicted risky sexual behaviors, along with parental closeness. Results. T-tests revealed sex differences across the four risky sexual behaviors. Males started to have sex at younger ages and had more partners than females; females reported to use contraception and to be diagnosed with STDs more often. These differences were statistically significant among individuals between 14 and 21years in age. The regression models explained 11% - 18.7% of variance in different risky sexual behaviors. Closeness and the discrepancy scores explained an additional 0.7% - 3.3% of the variance, beyond background variables. Higher discrepancy scores predicted younger age at first sex, more sex partners, less use of contraception methods, and more STDs infection. In contrast, closeness, predicted older age at first sex, fewer sex partners, and more use of contraception methods, but predicted more STDs. Conclusions. Findings were consistent with predictions by the dual systems model. The discrepancy between a high sensation seeking and a low impulse control ability contributed greater risky sexual behaviors. Closeness with parents buffered these effects, with the exception of STDs. Thus, the study dual systems model can effectively be applied better understand variability in sexual risk-taking.

Authors

• Magda Javakhishvili, University of Kentucky
  Presenting Author

• Alexander T Vazsonyi, University of Kentucky
  Non-Presenting Author