IDENTIFYING PREDICTORS OF FORCED SEX IN SOUTH AFRICA AND ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF HEALTHWISE.
Open Access
- Author:
- Miller, Jacqueline Ann
- Graduate Program:
- Human Development and Family Studies
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- September 21, 2011
- Committee Members:
- Edward A Smith, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Edward A Smith, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Rukmalie Thalani Jayakody, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- Adolescents
Intervention
Sexual Violence
South Africa
forced sex - Abstract:
- The experience of sexual violence is associated with numerous negative consequences. In South Africa, the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS exacerbates the risks associated with sexual violence (Dorrington et al., 2006). However, little is known about the psychosocial and behavioral characteristics that may increase (risk factors) or decrease (protective factors) youths risk for sexual violence in South Africa. This thesis describes two related studies that (1) examines behaviors, attitudes, and skills (or the lack of skills) that predict forced sex among South African youth; and (2) evaluates HealthWise, a comprehensive substance use and HIV/AIDs prevention program, on the significant predictors of forced sex. For study 1, analyses were restricted to youth in the control group who were virgins at wave 1 and sexually active by wave 5, who had reported forced sex between Waves 1 and 4. The final sample consisted of 327 sexually active youth (M age = 15.9), the majority of whom were male (59.9%). Of these youth, 28 reported experiencing forced sex during the past 6 months. Results revealed that greater sexual agency and condom use self-efficacy were protective against experiencing forced sex. Conversely, compared to their sexually active peers, youth who reported forced sex were more likely to believe it is a girl's duty to have sex with an older man and condone the use of substances to obtain sex. Youth who had been forced to have sex were more likely to use alcohol or marijuana at the time of their last sexual encounter. Risk avoidance skills, recent alcohol use, and gender were not significantly different between sexually active youth and those who experienced forced sex. As expected, there was no difference between number of partners, length of sexual history, or relationship to partner, which counters the common colloquial stance that the victim’s promiscuity is to blame for sexual violence. These results suggest that youth who experience sexual violence are not particularly promiscuous. Study 2 consisted of 6,341 students who participated in either the control or treatment conditions of the HealthWise study, which began at the start of student’s grade 8 school year. Results support that HealthWise students were less likely to drink alcohol at last sex than the control group, as reported at the 6 month follow-up. HealthWise students did not differ significantly from the control group on reports of sexual agency, condom use self-efficacy, substance use with sex norms nor belief that it is a girl’s duty to have sex with an older man. Results of the two studies discussed provide further understanding of forced sex in South Africa and identifies areas for future research. Study findings suggest that youth who experience forced sex differ on several, possibly malleable factors. HealthWise reduced youth’s likeliness to use substance at last sex, which is a strong predictor of forced sex. The ultimate goal of interventions is to change behavior; consequently, this finding has important implications for future interventions, despite the lack of treatment effect on attitudinal predictors measured. Overall, findings suggest a need for future research that examines the context of forced sex in South African in order to better inform intervention development.