The Influence of Knowing Someone with AIDS on Youth HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors

ABSTRACT Research indicates that knowing someone with HIV/ AIDS is associated with greater perceived risk of contracting HIV and changes in sexual risk behaviors. The current study with a sample of 1,172 examined whether knowing someone with HIV/AIDS influenced sexual risk communication and youth engagement in sexual intercourse using the Philadelphia Educational Longitudinal Study (PELS). Adolescents who reported personally knowing someone with AIDS were more likely to be female (p < .001) and Black (p < .007) or Hispanic (p < .019). These adolescents were 1.5 times more likely to report ever having had sex and 1.3 times more likely to have ever talked to their parent about how to avoid STDs and AIDS compared to youth who did not know someone with AIDS. Understanding if and how knowing someone with HIV/AIDS influences sexual activity may be an important approach in reducing new HIV infections.