HIV Risk-Related Attitudes, Influences, and Intentions of Early Adolescent Girls - Article Example

HIV Risk Related Attitudes, Interpersonal Influences, and Intentions among at risk Urban, Early Adolescent Girls The article critiqued in the presentpaper is titled “HIV Risk Related Attitudes, Interpersonal Influences, and Intentions among at risk Urban, Early Adolescent Girls” by Jennifer Di Noia and Steven P. Schinke published in the American Journal of Health Behavior volume 32, issue 5 in September 2008. The study depicted in the article was aimed at establishing the correlation of sexual experimentation and the risk of HIV infection among the urban, early adolescent girls aged between 11 and 14 years. The study proceeded with a good amount of literature review which provided a significant amount of useful information about the research field and created the base for the study. The analysis of the available literature also helped the researchers to indicate the need for the present study as well as helped them in analyzing their own findings in the light of the existing results of the researches. A considerably large amount of samples have been selected for the study purpose. 236 adolescent girls aged about 12.38 + 1.2 years of age enrolled in a community based HIV prevention trial between June 1, 2004 and March 31, 2006 have been selected through convenience sampling method through social service agencies from the greater New York city area. The large sample size selected here was best suited for the quantitative research method adopted in the study but the selection of samples as available in the community based trial had limited the generalizability of the results. The informed consents from the participants as well as their guardians have been achieved prior to the study (Di Noia and Schinke, 2008). Quantitative approach was adopted for the study purpose in order to generate measurable numeric results, which are easier to generalize. The pre test done with the girls selected provided the preliminary findings and data about the behavior of the girls related to sexual experimentation. For the final study mainly multiple choice questions have been put forward to the girls in order to generate huge amount of data about the relevant study questions (Di Noia and Schinke, 2008). While considering the variables the independent variables chosen for the purpose of the study were the race, ethnicity, household composition, primary language spoken, comfort in speaking and reading English, ages of the participants, their partners and peers, etc. The dependent variables considered for the study purpose were knowledge and perception about HIV/AIDS and possible vulnerability, peer norms about sexual behaviors and usage of condom or other safety measures, partner norms, attitude towards sexually active youths based on peer perception, perception about efficacy of condoms and the enjoyment related to it, influence of partners as perceived, refusal self efficacy, intention to have sex in the coming year, sexual communication, sexual assertiveness, perceived efficacy of abstinence, etc. All these variables have been found to vary depending on the age of the participant as well as the age of the partners they have. Dichotomously coded items such as whether talked to a boy, whether went out on a date, whether kissed a boy, etc. have also been assess in the study. Sexual experimentation and risk have been analyzed through a graph with two indices each based on the self reported life time sexual behaviors of the participants (Di Noia and Schinke, 2008). The study took good care with regards to the validation and reliability of the data collected. The threat to the internal validity was avoided through the study of the comparison groups based on the same variables. The sexual experimentation index was calculated based on the data provided by the 21% of the participants engaged in at least one sexual risk behavior like oral, anal or vaginal sex compared to the rest 79% of the participants who have not engaged in any of such behaviors. Scores on the index ranged from 0 to 5, i.e., from complete absence of any such behavior to the exercise of all 5 risk behaviors identified in the study. But in case of external validity the sampling technique could not provide the best way to overcome the problems. Moreover, the responses provided by the participants were not validated either by any means (Di Noia and Schinke, 2008). The statistical analysis of the data collected has been done using correlational analysis methods. These methods helped establish the degree of association between the scale items and the level of sexual experimentation and risk among the girls participated. The statistical analysis of the data was done using ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post hoc tests for comparisons of mean item ratings between girls in sexual experimentation and risk groups studied and t test for independent samples. The ANOVA test as a parametric test is best suited in this regard to study intra-group samples as the variables are normally distributed in the same group. This test is able to provide the most appropriate results in this study. Bonferroni post hoc tests when used along with ANOVA help to analyze samples and give clearer results. The use of t test was also chosen appropriately as each of the groups was independent of each other. The 2 way ANOVA was also best suited for the bivariate analysis made to determine whether the sexual experimentation and risk differed based on the age, race, ethnicity, household composition, relative ages of friends and partners, etc. as the preliminary investigations showed positive correlations in these regards (Di Noia and Schinke, 2008). The study findings were able to answer the study questions successfully establishing the correlation between risky behavior and other variables like deviant peer norms, inability to refuse unprotected sex, negative partner influences, etc. Girls having older partners showed greater risks than the ones with young or same aged partners. Thus the study avoided type II error by denouncing the null hypothesis. To conclude the entire discussion it can be said that the study is a good one providing important information in this field and indicating the utility of risk correlates in the design of HIV prevention programs. The study took a very good approach to examine multiple behaviors in a single experiment and used analytical procedures in identifying behavioral groupings. But the present study also showed some limitations like unrepresentative sampling causing limited possibility of generalization of results and lack of attempt to validate the responses received. The basis of sexual experimentation and risk indices being the number of behaviors the participants enacted the related risk associated with behaviors included in each measure was ignored. As a result the replication studies for further exploration of the field have been suggested in the article (Di Noia and Schinke, 2008). References Di Noia, J. and Schinke, S.P., (2008). HIV risk related attitudes, interpersonal influences, and intentions among at risk urban, early adolescent girls. American Journal of Health Behavior, 32 (5): 497-504. Read More