Latent Profiles of Social Media Users, STI Knowledge, and Condom Use among African American Young Adults

The abundance of social networking platforms has increased the frequency and the availability for which individuals communicate with one another. The feasibility and accessibility to go online to find sexual partners pose opportunity for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the absence of safe sexual practices. Low condom use has been reported among young adults who seek sexual partners online. African American young adults have some of the highest rates of infection for certain STIs. In order to mitigate the incidence and prevalence of STIs in at-risk populations, sexually active young adults must use condoms consistently and correctly during sexual activities. The present study sought to uncover the heterogeneity within African American young adults regarding their online networking utilization, STI knowledge, and sexual risk behavior. African American young adults (N = 236), ages 18 - 23, completed private online survey administration. Using latent class analysis, three classes were identified: Social Network Communicators (43%; N = 101), Social Networking Daters (36%; N = 83), and Media Sharers (21%; N = 52). Social Networking Daters exhibited the highest probability of using online dating sites daily, low STI knowledge, and a zero probability of consistent condom use. All three groups exhibited relatively low STI knowledge. Furthermore, having a history of STI increased the likelihood of being classified into the Social Networking Daters class relative to the other classes. Findings highlight the need to capitalize upon online platforms for African American young adults who utilize online dating sites and other online environments.