Biomedical subjects

Angela J Huebner

Publications and source records attributed to Angela J Huebner.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Factors associated with former smokers among female adolescents in rural Virginia.

We examined multiple ecological factors (individual, family, peer, school, and community) associated with female adolescent former smokers (FS), current smokers (CS), and never smokers (NS) in a sample of 2029 seventh to twelfth grade girls living in a rural area of Virginia. We were particularly interesting in examining variables related to FS. Compared to CS, FS reported lower levels of delinquency, less coping by taking drugs, less availability of cigarettes, and less alcohol and marijuana use. They also reported less depression, fewer suicidal thoughts, and fewer suicide attempts than CS. FS reported spending more time in community clubs, had higher self-esteem, obtained higher grades, had more parental monitoring, more parent attachment, and more school attachment than CS. Logistical regression analysis predicting current or former smoking status revealed significant effects on coping by taking drugs, alcohol use, depression, grades, parental monitoring, and perceived availability of cigarettes. The findings have implications for smoking intervention programs with adolescent girls in rural areas.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Zimbabwean adolescents' condom use: what makes a difference? Implications for intervention.

PURPOSE: To examine risk and resilience factors at multiple ecological levels related to Zimbabwean adolescents' practice of protected or unprotected sex. METHODS: Data were collected from adolescents in eight secondary schools in Zimbabwe. A 140-item instrument designed by the authors assessed adolescent perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes. Youth who had engaged in sexual intercourse (n = 730) were included in analyses. Risk and resilience factors related to self, peer, family, and community domains were examined. Data were analyzed separately by gender using discriminant analysis to identify factors that predict whether youth engage in safe or unsafe sex. RESULTS: Boys who engaged in safe sex were older, more likely to report their parents were there when needed, spent more time in extracurricular activities, and reported a lower drop out likelihood. Girls who engaged in safe sex worried about HIV/AIDS more than those who engaged in unsafe sex. CONCLUSIONS: Although both boys and girls need medically correct sexuality education, including education on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the findings suggest that such education is not enough. Program planners must consider the influences of multiple ecological levels. Gender differences raise several issues for intervention.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2003

Examining the relationship between adolescent sexual risk-taking and perceptions of monitoring, communication, and parenting styles.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between adolescent sexual risk-taking and perception of parental monitoring, frequency of parent-adolescent communication, and parenting style. The influences of gender, age, and ethnicity are also of interest. METHODS: Data were collected from 7th-12th grade students in six rural, ethnically diverse school located in adjacent counties in a Southeastern state. A 174-item instrument assessed adolescent perceptions, behaviors and attitudes. Youth who had engaged in sexual intercourse (n = 1160) were included in the analyses. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify parenting practices that predicted high versus low-risk sex (defined by number of partners and use of condoms). Variables included parental monitoring, parent-adolescent communication, parenting style, parenting process interaction effects and interaction effects among these three parenting processes and gender, age and ethnicity. Analyses included frequencies, cross-tabulations and logistic regression. RESULTS: Parental monitoring, parental monitoring by parent-adolescent communication and parenting style by ethnicity were significant predictors of sexual risk-taking. No gender or age interactions were noted. CONCLUSION: Parental monitoring, parent-adolescent communication and parenting style are all important variables to consider when examining sexual risk-taking among adolescents.

Adolescent↗