Effects of parental and personal factors on birth control use under the genetic influences of 5-HTTLPR among adolescents

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Data were obtained from the Wave 1 and Wave 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine the relationships between parental influences and personal attributes on birth control use, as well as identify genetic influence of 5-HTTLPR on such relationships among adolescents. The framework of the present study was based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and differential susceptibility theory (DST) and administered research questions in two phases: (a) to examine relationships between parental influences and personal attributes on birth control use and (b) to identify genetic influences on such relationships by comparing the frequencies of common genetic variants—short(s) allele (group1) vs. long(l) allele (group 2)—in 5-HTTLPR among adolescents (n = 5852). Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to estimate the hypothesized paths among factors. First, the current study did not present the indirect effects of parental factors on birth control use within the framework of an extended TPB model. The fit indices for the measurement model of the current study for the 5-HTTLPR s-allele group (n = 3,831) were not adequate, CFI = .766, RMSEA = .068, WRMR = 3.905. The fit of the measurement model for the 5-HTTLPR l-allele group (n = 2,021) was very similar to that of the first group and is thus also not adequate, CFI = .752, RMSEA = .070, WRMR = 2.965. Second, the current study presented the direct effects of personal attributes (TPB constructs) on birth control use within the framework of the TPB model. The multiple group model with intercepts, thresholds, factor loadings, and path coefficients constrained to be equal across two groups demonstrated a moderate fit for the data (CFI = .990, RMSEA = .022, WRMR = 1.170). Birth control use with adolescents’ perception of parental attitude toward sex (b = -.124, p < .05), attitude toward birth control (b = .316, p < .05), and self-efficacy in birth control (b = .312, p < .05) were significant. Consistent with Shneyderman and Schwartz (2013), who posit that the association between the three TPB constructs is related to sexual risk behaviors and actual sexual risk outcomes, the current findings present that birth control use was associated with adolescents’ perception of a less strict parental attitude toward sex, more positive attitude toward birth control, and greater self-efficacy for birth control. Third, the current study examined the effects of genetic variants of 5-HTTLPR on the relationship between TPB constructs and birth control. The results suggested that the effects of the TPB constructs on birth control use were invariant between groups (p > .05), meaning that genetic variants did not significantly moderate the effect of the TPB constructs on birth control use. Taken together, the current study provides a better understanding of birth control use and how genes and the environment work together; and utilizes a prospective design explaining the causes and consequences in predicting a behavior from suspected influential factors.

Authors

• Hyun-Jin Cho, State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany)
  Presenting Author

• Gabriel L Schlomer
  Non-Presenting Author