Problem Solving Reduces Sexual Risk Associated with Sensation Seeking, Substance Use, and Depressive Symptoms Among African-American Adolescents.

Objective: African-American adolescents experience higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared to same-age Caucasian peers. Substance use, sensation seeking, and depression have all been linked to risky sexual practices. Theory suggests that problem-solving skills may help to buffer against these risk factors.

Method: To test this hypothesis, we used data from African-American adolescents (N = 1018; M age = 16.7, SD = 1.1; 58% female) who participated in a prevention trial.

Results: Nearly half of the sample (47%) reported lifetime marijuana use, while 13% reported drug use prior to most recent sexual encounter. Sexual sensation seeking was directly associated with drug use prior to sex (β = 1.13, b = 0.13,
SE = 0.02, p < .001) and lower problem-solving skills (β = -0.08, b = -0.06,
SE = 0.02, p = .01). Problem-solving skills were associated with drug use prior to sex (β = 0.92, b = -0.08, SE = 0.03, p = .004), such that those with greater problem-solving skills were less likely to report drug use prior to most recent sex. Lastly, problem solving skills mediated the association between sexual sensation seeking and drug use prior to sex, though the effect was small (β = 0.01, 95% CI: .001, .01).

Conclusions: Problem-solving skills can have a protective influence on risky behavior for adolescents. Future research might examine the utility of strengthening problem-solving skills in order to reduce STI/HIV risk among African American adolescents.