Adolescent males involved in pregnancy: associations of forced sexual contact and risk behaviors.

PURPOSE

To determine whether sexually active adolescent males who report being the victim of forced sexual contact and engaging in health risk and problem behaviors are more likely to report getting someone pregnant.

METHODS

In 1995, 4159 students in Grades 9-12 in 59 randomly selected public high schools in Massachusetts were anonymously surveyed using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Data were analyzed for 824 sexually active males. Demographic variables and indicators of sexual behavior, pregnancy, violence, and suicide were assessed. Data were analyzed with multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 12.0% of sexually active males reported having been involved in a pregnancy. The proportion of males who reported getting a partner pregnant increased with age. Of the sample, 8.1% gave a history of having had sexual contact against their will. Of those who reported forced sexual contact, 36.4% reported having been involved in a pregnancy; of the males who did not report a history of forced sexual contact, 9.4% were involved in a pregnancy (CV = 0.23; p < 0.00001). Based on multiple logistic regression, forced sexual contact [odds ratio (OR) 3.56; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.79-7.09], frequency of weapon carrying on school property (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.18-1.64), number of cigarettes smoked per day (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.08-1.38), number of sexual partners in the previous 3 months (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.25-1.65), and condom nonuse at last intercourse (OR 1.80; 95% CI 1.06-3.02) correctly classified 89.9% of the males who were involved in a pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the association between health-risk and problem behaviors, forced sexual contact, and involvement in pregnancy among sexually active male high school students. In our analysis, a history of forced sexual contact was associated with a higher risk of high school males' involvement in pregnancy. These results strongly suggest the importance of screening sexually active males for a history of forced sexual intercourse and health risk and problem behaviors in the effort to prevent teenage pregnancy and childbearing.