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Substance Abuse and Risky Sex in Young People: The Development and Validation of the Risky Sex Scale

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Abstract

Young people continue to be at considerable risk for HIV infection, and risky sexual practices that sometimes lead to infection are often precipitated by the abuse of alcohol. In the current study of three hundred and sixty one sexually active undergraduates cited their first time for university substance abuse violations, confirmatory factor analysis was employed to validate the Risky Sex Scale. A three factor solution appears to fit the data significantly, and three subscales (risky sex expectancies, risky sex behavior, and gender-based perceptions of risky sex) demonstrate good to excellent reliability and vary significantly with problem drinking, context-related drinking, and gender X context interactions. Implications for prevention are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, USA

    Thomas O'Hare

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  1. Thomas O'Hare
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O'Hare, T. Substance Abuse and Risky Sex in Young People: The Development and Validation of the Risky Sex Scale. The Journal of Primary Prevention 22, 89–101 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012653717412

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