Depression tied to risky sex
2006-07-11 11:00
New York - Sexually experienced teenagers with high levels of depression symptoms are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour, a new study shows.
"The study findings underscore that it is important for
parents to be familiar with signs of depression among
adolescent boys and girls," Dr Jocelyn A Lehrer of the
University of California, said.
"In addition to providing strong and consistent emotional support to their teens, it is important for parents to encourage and actively support their teens in seeking mental health care when needed."
As many as 20% of adolescents may experience major
depression, Lehrer and her team note in the July issue of the
medical journal Paediatrics.
Half of new cases of sexually transmitted infections occur in adolescents, while teens also face a disproportionate risk of contracting HIV.
To investigate whether symptoms of depression might be
linked to sexual risk taking, Lehrer and her colleagues
analysed results of a large national study of adolescent health
that included 4 152 boys and girls who were interviewed at home in 1995 and once again a year later.
Interviewers assessed study participants' levels of depressive symptoms using a 19-item questionnaire.
Unique analysis
The higher boys scored on the test at the first interview,
the more likely they were to report a year later that they had
not used condoms or any other type of birth control the last
time they had sex, Lehrer and her colleagues found.
Girls who scored high on the test were less likely to have
used birth control or condoms the last time they had sex, and
were more likely to have had three or more sexual partners over
the previous year.
While other studies have suggested a link between
depression and risky sex, Lehrer and her team note, their
analysis is unique because it looked at a large, nationally
representative sample over a one-year period.
There are many possible reasons why teens with symptoms of
depression might be more likely to take sexual risks, Lehrer
noted.
"Youth who are both emotionally distressed and socially
isolated may be more likely to seek or be successfully
pressured into sexual activity, in the name of some kind of
shared intimacy, or to maintain relationships that they value," she said.
Teens may also use sex as a way to
cope with their symptoms of depression, Lehrer added.