1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The present study will examine the association between CM [child maltreatment] and adolescent SRBs [sexual risk behaviors] while attempting to delineate the unique, cumulative, and interactive effects. We investigated two types of SRBs: nature of sexual partners (i.e., number of sexual partners and casual sexual behavior) and sexual health risks (i.e., age at first consensual intercourse, condom use, and STIs [sexually transmitted infections].» (p. 411-412)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«Consistent with previous findings, it was hypothesized that all forms of CM would be associated with SRBs without controlling for other forms of CM (hypothesis 1) […]. In line with the differential effects theory, it was hypothesized that sexual abuse would be uniquely associated with SRBs (hypothesis 2) […]. It was hypothesized that experiencing more forms of CM would be associated with greater involvement in SRBs (hypothesis 3) […], that combinations of sexual abuse and any other form of CM would be associated with greater involvement in SRBs (hypothesis 4) […], and that the associations among CM and SRBs would be the same among girls and boys (hypothesis 5) […].» (p. 413)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Data were drawn from the Quebec Youths’ Romantic Relationships (QYRR) survey. […] The analytical sample (N = 1940) was restricted to sexually active adolescents aged 17 years or younger (60.8% girls). More than half of them indicated that they lived with their family of origin (55.0%). Sexually active adolescents selected in this study were more likely than non sexually active adolescents from the overall sample to have reported living with separated parents or others […], having a mother with a high school degree or less […], having experienced sexual abuse […], physical abuse […], and having witnessed interparental violence […].» (p. 413)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

The results indicate that «all forms of CM (sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and witnessing interparental violence) were independently associated with small to medium effect sizes with number of sexual partners, casual sexual behavior, and age at first consensual intercourse, even after controlling for mother’s education and family structure. […] The second major finding is that sexual abuse was not the only form of CM associated with SRBs, after controlling for other forms of CM. […] Even though experiencing sexual abuse is a common denominator, experiencing neglect and physical abuse as well as witnessing interparental violence contributed to the explanation of SRBs, depending on the SRB considered. [W]itnessing interparental violence contributed to casual sexual behavior over and above the effect of sexual abuse. This result may suggest that adolescents who experienced a high level of conflict between their parents have negative expectations about romantic relationships and, in turn, choose casual partners to fulfill their needs for intimacy and sexuality. […] The third major finding is the support for the cumulative effect of CM on each of the wide range of SRBs […]. Moreover, results […] indicated that combinations with sexual abuse and other forms of CM were not associated with greater SRBs […].» (p. 417-418) «The fourth major finding is that associations between CM and SRBs are generally the same for boys and girls […].» (p. 418)