Abstract
With the aim of developing a novel strategy for identifying vulnerability for early sexual activity and adjustment problems, African American girls (n = 39) completed partially structured scenarios in which female characters of similar age faced circumstances characterized by varying levels of risk. Most girls indicated that they believed the characters would have sex, regardless of their own sexual history or the level of risk in the scenario. However, the combination of girls’ sexual history and girls’ predictions of characters’ behavior in the scenario provided more information regarding the girls at greatest risk for adjustment problems. Implicit techniques offer an additional strategy for identifying girls most vulnerable to adjustment difficulties in the context of early sexual activity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for child behavior checklist 4–18 and 1991 profile. Burlington: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
Brener, N. D., Kann, L., McManus, T., Kinchen, S. A., Sundberg, E. C., & Ross, J. G. (2002). Reliability of the 1999 youth risk behavior survey questionnaire. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31(4), 336–342.
Brown, L. K., Hadley, W., Stewart, A., Lescano, C., Whitely, L., Donenberg, G., DiClemente, R., & the Project STYLE Study Group. (2010). Psychiatric disorders and sexual risk among adolescents in mental health treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 590–597.
Catania, J. A., Gibson, D. R., Chitwood, D. D., & Coates, T. J. (1990). Methodological problems in AIDS behavioral research: Influences on measurement error and participation bias in studies of sexual behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 108(3), 339–362.
Center for Disease Control. (2003). Handbook for conducting youth risk behavior surveys. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2002.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007a). HIV/AIDS surveillance report, 2007. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007b). Racial/ethnic disparities in diagnoses of HIV/AIDS—33 states, 2001–2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 56, 189–193.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Youth risk behavior surveillance United States, 2007. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 57(SS-4), 1–131.
Cook, S. W., & Selltiz, C. (1964). A multiple-indicator approach to attitude measurement. Psychological Bulletin, 62(1), 36–55.
Czopp, A. M., Monteith, M. J., Zimmerman, R. S., & Lynam, D. R. (2004). Implicit attitudes as potential protection from risky sex: Predicting condom use with the IAT. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 26, 227–236.
Foshee, V. A., Benefield, T., Suchindran, C., Ennett, S. T., Bauman, K. E., Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., et al. (2009). The development of four types of adolescent dating abuse and selected demographic correlates. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 19(3), 380–400.
Howard, D. A., & Wang, M. Q. (2004). Multiple sexual-partner behavior among sexually active U.S. adolescent girls. American Journal of Health Behavior, 28(1), 3–12.
Jackson, C., & Foshee, V. A. (1998). Violence-related behaviors of adolescents: Relations with responsive and demanding parenting. Journal of Adolescent Research, 13(3), 343–359.
Jones, D. J., Forehand, R., Brody, G., & Armistead, L. (2002). Psychosocial adjustment of African American children in single-mother families: A test of three risk models. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64(1), 105–115.
Kann, L. (2001). The youth risk behavior surveillance system: Measuring health-risk behaviors. American Journal of Health Behavior, 25(3), 272–277.
Kotchick, B. A., Shaffer, A., Forehand, R., & Miller, K. S. (2001). Adolescent sexual behavior: A multi-system perspective. Clinical Psychology Review, 21(4), 493–519.
Levy, S., Sherritt, L., Gabrielli, J., Shrier, L. A., & Knight, J. R. (2009). Screening adolescents for substance use-related high-risk sexual behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(5), 473–477.
Marsh, K. L., Johnson, B. T., & Scott-Sheldon, L. A. J. (2001). Heart versus reason in condom use: Implicit versus explicit attitudinal predictors of sexual behavior. Zeitschrift fur Experimentelle Psychologie, 48(2), 161–175.
Martin, J. A., Hamilton, B. E., Sutton, P. D., Ventura, S. J., Menacker, F., Kirmeyer, S., et al. (2009). Births: Final data for 2006. National Vital Statistic Reports, 57(7), 1–102.
McLeod, J. D., & Knight, S. (2010). The association of socioemotional problems with early sexual intitiation. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 42, 93–101.
Reyna, V., & Farley, F. (2006). Risk and rationality in adolescent decision making: Implications for theory, practice, and public policy. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 7(1), 1–44.
Rosenbaum, J. E. (2006). Reborn a virgin: Adolescent’s retracting of virginity pledges and sexual histories. American Journal of Public Health, 96(6), 1098–1103.
Ross, M. W., Timpson, S. C., Williams, M. L., & Bowen, A. M. (2003). Situational correlates of condom use in a sample of African-American drug users who are primarily crack cocaine users. AIDS and Behavior, 7(1), 55–60.
Schofield, H. L., Bierman, K. L., Heinrichs, B., Nix, R. L., & the Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2008). Predicting early sexual activity with behavior problems exhibited at school entry and in early adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 1175–1188.
Schroder, K. E., Carey, M. P., & Vanable, P. A. (2003). Methodological challenges in research on sexual risk behavior: II. Accuracy of self-reports. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 26(2), 104–123.
Stacy, A. W., Newcomb, M. D., & Ames, S. L. (2000). Implicit cognition and HIV risk behavior. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23(5), 475–499.
Steinberg, L. (2008). A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Developmental Review, 28(1), 78–106.
Valois, R. F., Bryant, E. S., Rivard, J., & Hinkle, K. T. (1997). Sexual risk-taking behaviors among adolescents with severe emotional disturbance. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 6(4), 409–419.
Vanable, P. A., Carey, M. P., Brown, J. L., DiClemente, R. J., Salazar, L. F., Brown, L. K., et al. (2009). Test–retest reliability of self-reported HIV/STD-related measures among African American adolescents in four U.S. cities. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44(3), 214–221.
Vargas, P. T., Sekaquaptewa, D., & von Hippel, W. (2007). Armed only with paper and pencil: ‘Low-tech’ measures of implicit attitudes. In B. Wittenbrink & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Implicit measures of attitudes (pp. 103–124). New York: Guilford Press.
Vargas, P. T., von Hippel, W., & Petty, R. E. (2004). Using partially structured attitude measures to enhance the attitude-behavior relationship. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(2), 197–211.
Weinhardt, L. S., Forsyth, A. D., Carey, M. P., Jaworski, B. C., & Durant, L. E. (1998). Reliability and validity of self-report measures of HIV-related sexual behavior: progress since 1990 and recommendations for research and practice. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 27, 155–180.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Helfand, M. (2008). Ten years of longitudinal research on U.S. adolescent sexual behavior: Developmental correlates of sexual intercourse and the importance of age, gender, and ethnic background. Developmental Review, 28, 153–224.
Acknowledgments
Funding for this project was provided by awards to the second author from the UNC Ethnicity, Culture, and Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, UNC Center for AIDS Research (#9P30 AI050410), and a Mentored Public Health Research Scientist Development Award from the CDC (5K01PS000795). The authors also wish to acknowledge the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center that provided support for the development of the K01 application and ongoing support to the second author, as well as the second author’s K01 mentors, Drs. Seth Kalichman, Daniel Nagin, and Desmond Runyan. Finally, this study would not be possible without the families who participated in the project, as well as the focus group members who provided feedback on the measure.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
The Health Risk Perceptions Questionnaire is available upon request from the second author.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kincaid, C.Y., Jones, D.J., Gonzalez, M. et al. The Role of Implicit Measurement in the Assessment of Risky Behavior: A Pilot Study with African American Girls. J Child Fam Stud 21, 799–806 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9537-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9537-1