The adolescent heterosexual relationship and its association with the sexual and contraceptive behavior of black females
R. H. DuRant and S. Jay
Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.
We tested the hypothesis that the nature of the heterosexual relationship
would be associated with the contraceptive and sexual behavior among three
groups of females: those with a boyfriend who agreed to be interviewed (n =
31); those whose boyfriends refused to be interviewed (n = 38); and those
without a single identifiable boyfriend (n = 44). A pretested questionnaire
was administered to a random sample of 113 black females aged 12 to 18
years from a lower socioeconomic population. The three groups did not
differ in age, Tanner stage, previous pregnancies, or in demographic
variables. Females with boyfriends were more likely than others to be
currently sexually active. Overall, 47.8% of the sample was sexually
active. Females whose boyfriends were interviewed were more likely to feel
that having a baby would ruin their life. Among sexually active females (n
= 54), a higher percentage of females whose boyfriends were interviewed
(90%) were currently using a prescription method of birth control and
demonstrated higher previous contraceptive compliance. There were no
differences between the groups with boyfriends in the degree that the
females felt their boyfriends supported their use of birth control; those
without boyfriends perceived less support. Six months after the initial
interview, a higher percentage of sexually active females had a boyfriend
as compared with other subjects. Although the 31 females and their
boyfriends differed in the mean scores of several sexual behavior and
attitude scales, the girls' and their boyfriends' scores on these scales
were moderately correlated. These findings suggest that the nature of the
heterosexual relationship may influence both the sexual and the
contraceptive behavior of black female adolescents.
