Analysis of High-Risk Sexual Behavior among Polish University Students

Young Women's Needs Regarding Sexual Preventive Behaviours and Unwanted Pregnancies

Unwanted pregnancies are considered a public health problem that affects women's mental health and quality of life. The aim of this paper was to access university students' understanding and behaviours regarding unwanted pregnancies and identify their needs to prevent them. Qualitative descriptive design was used, and 13 semi-structured interviews were carried out. Women between 18 and 20 years old participated. They discussed a lack of training for themselves, their partners, and their families, their desire to have access to non-in-person health care resources, and their belief that contraception was expensive. Emotional aspects were relevant, affecting the way communication is established with those close to them and with health professionals. Despite the existence of access to sexual health resources, the findings show the existence of needs related to the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. The findings are presented grouping the main identified needs as "related to capability", "related to opportunity", and "related to motivation". Among the aspects to consider when designing interventions to prevent unwanted pregnancies are the feelings shown by these women, the inclusion of couples and family members in educational programs, and access to non-face-to-face health resources and less expensive contraceptive methods. Interventions for social support and understanding of women are necessary both to prevent unwanted pregnancies and to support adolescents with unwanted pregnancies by avoiding criminalization or blame.

Sexual behavior of university students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods study

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the sexual behaviors of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHOD

Mixed study, carried out on four campuses of a public university in Paraíba, Brazil, between March 2021 and April 2022. The research followed ethical precepts.

RESULTS

404 university students were included, with an average age of 23.7 years, predominantly female, brown and single. The prevalence of self-reported sexually transmitted infections was 7.9%. Male students were more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Multiple logistic regression indicated that university students aged 25 or over who had engaged in casual sex in the last 12 months and had received or paid for sex were more likely to have sexually transmitted infections. The content analysis showed that social isolation was reflected in reduced consumption of alcohol and other substances, reduced sexual practices, increased use of social networks, as well as low adherence to condoms.

CONCLUSION

Physical distancing has an impact on the sexual behavior of university students, as well as on the consumption of alcohol and other substances.

Sexual Behaviors Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Other Sexual and Gender Diverse Medical Students: A National Study of Thai Medical Schools

Objective

This study aims to investigate sexual behaviors among gender diverse (LGBT and other sexual/gender minorities) and nongender-diverse medical students.

Methods

In 2021 academic year, medical students from five Thai medical schools completed questionnaires identifying demographic data, psychosexual factors, sexual experiences, and risks.

Results

Among 1,322 students, 32.1% were gender-diverse students who had lower age at first sexual intercourse and more experiences in solitary and partnered sexual activity.

Conclusions

Use of hookup applications was more frequent among gay and bisexual males. Risky sexual behaviors were significantly higher among bisexual females. Gender-diverse medical students showed higher involvement in sexual activities. Future studies should be addressing sexual health in Thai medical education.

Influence of Selected Sociodemographic and Cultural Factors on the Age of Sexual Initiation of Students from Polish Universities

Sexuality is the one of the most important parts of human life. The aim of our study was to identify the factors influencing the onset and age of sexual initiation in students and drawing attention to the need to improve access to sexual education in Polish schools at a sufficiently high level. An original questionnaire with 31 questions was used for the study. Data were collected using the Google Forms tool. A total of 7528 students participated in the study and 5824 underwent sexual initiation. The mean age at sexual initiation was 18.1 years. Logistic regression analysis was performed to show factors influencing the onset of sexual activity, while linear regression analysis was used for factors influencing the age of sexual initiation. Religion, drug use, smoking, alcohol consumption, type of housing, and conversations with parents about contraception or sex affect the onset of sexual activity. The age of sexual initiation is affected by religion, the age of the first viewing of pornography, quality of life, the size of the city of residence, smoking and drug use.

Patterns of University Students' Risky Sexual Experiences and Their Characteristics

In Poland, there is little research on university students' risky sexual behaviours. Additionally, existing studies analyse the behaviours selectively and do not group them into clusters. Hence, effective prevention is impossible. The research aims to gather information regarding the prevalence, forms and clusters of students' risky sexual experiences. In 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 universities in south-eastern Poland on a random sample (n = 2764). Fifteen risky sexual experiences, both condom-protected and unprotected, were analysed; they were mainly unprotected vaginal, oral, anal contacts; protected and unprotected sexual experiences while intoxicated and with unknown persons. Thanks Ward's hierarchical method, four inseparable clusters of students with similar risky experiences were distinguished. Their dominant features were: (A) (24% of interviewees)-drunk partners, (B) (4.8%)-partners intoxicated with drugs, (C) (3.1%)-partner abuse and exceeding partner sexual norms, (D) (17.8%)-the anonymity of partners and going beyond the convention. It was stated that 60.3% of the respondents do not belong to any of the identified clusters. Sex education and the promotion of student sexual health should be intensified; the development of attitudes of avoiding risky sexual behaviours and dealing with their consequences should be considered.

Temporal Trends and Differences in Sexuality among Depressed and Non-Depressed Adults in the United States

This study aimed to examine temporal trends and differences in sexuality between depressed and non-depressed adults aged 18-59 in the United States from 2005 to 2016. A total of 21,437 people (5432 with depression) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. From 2005-2008 to 2013-2016, the average age at first sexual intercourse decreased, while the proportion of normal frequency of sexual activity and heterosexual sexual orientation increased among all the participants. Some differences in sexuality were found between the depressed and non-depressed groups. The average age at first sexual intercourse (p < 0.001), the proportion of normal frequency of sexual activity (p < 0.001), and heterosexual sexual orientation (p < 0.001) were lower in depressed participants, and the differences did not change over time (p_{for trend} = 0.926 of average age at first sexual intercourse, p_{for trend} = 0.823 of normal frequency of sexual activity, p_{for trend} = 0.926 of heterosexual sexual orientation). Moreover, these differences were associated with marital status (p_{for interaction} < 0.001 by average age at first sexual intercourse), employment status (p_{for interaction} < 0.001 by average age at first sexual intercourse), education status (p_{for interaction} = 0.023 by heterosexual sexual orientation) and family income status (p_{for interaction} = 0.013 by average age at first sexual intercourse and p_{for interaction} = 0.017 by normal frequency of sexual activity). In conclusion, the study found that the age at first sexual intercourse decreased and the frequency of sexual intercourse increased in all the participants, and differences in sexuality between depressed and non-depressed participants were present; however, these differences had no further increase or decrease during the 12-year period. These differences were associated with marital status, employment status, education status, and family income status. These findings show differences in sexuality between depressed and non-depressed patients but are somewhat different from previous studies; the results may provide directions for future research and social work.

Risky sexual behavior and associated factors among sexually-experienced adolescents in Bangkok, Thailand: findings from a school web-based survey

Background

The risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI) arises when there is unsafe sexual activity. Unsafe sex often begins in the teenage years, and it will persist as long as there is the opportunity for risky sexual activity. The purpose of this study was to assess the sexual risk behaviors and related factors of sexually-active adolescents in educational institutions in Thailand.

Methods

This was cross-sectional survey using an Internet-based application in schools in Bangkok from November 2020 to February 2021 with a total of 6,167 high school and vocational students. The schools were selected by simple random sampling among institutions, and the students were systematically randomly selected, with an equal number of males and females. We used multivariable logistic regression to analyze associations and control confounding variables. Indicators of risky sex include: (1) Not using a condom; (2) Having more than one sex partner; (3) Having sex in exchange for cash or in-kind compensation; and (4) Having sex without consent.

Results

Of a total of 872 sexually-active participants, the mean age was 15.6 years, 66.9% were vocational students, 42.1% were male, 57.9% were female, and 69.5% had sex risk behavior. The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following statistically-significant factors related to risky sex: smokes cigarettes (AOR = 1.79; 95% CI 1.12–2.88); uses cannabis (AOR = 2.84; 95% CI 1.23–6.56); gambles (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.28–2.55); has sex without contraception (AOR = 2.74; 95% CI 2.91–3.93); has a history of childhood sex abuse (AOR = 1.60; 95% CI 1.03–2.56).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that, in designing and implementing sexual risk prevention programs for adolescents in educational settings, there is a need to highlight the role of substance abuse in relation to sexual risk behaviors. Programs should target both male and female students. Teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to be sexually active than those who have never used marijuana. These potential risks should be taken into account with respect to legalization of marijuana and recreational use of this drug.

Risky sexual behavior (RSB) is engaging in sexual practices that may increase vulnerability to a reproductive health problem. This study was conducted to assess the sexual risk behaviors of students living in Bangkok, which has the highest rates of STIs among regions in Thailand. Previous studies of RSB have focused on the general population age 18 years or older. By contrast, there is a dearth of studies on sex behavior among Thais under age 18 years. In addition, the present study aimed to explore the association of substance abuse and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with adolescent RSB. In this study, 14.1% of all students in the participating schools had ever had sex before. Using the study criteria, two out of three students in the sample had experienced RSB. The findings from this study may help inform programs and interventions aimed at reducing the negative health impacts associated with RSB, specifically STIs. The findings of the study should be relevant for health program managers, socio-behavioral researchers, and other stakeholders who design reproductive health intervention strategies for in-school adolescents.