Bullying Victimization and STIs: Parental Communication and Parental Sexual Communication as Moderators

Abstract

Purpose: Informed by attachment theory, the current study explores whether the association between bullying victimization and STIs acquisition among African American youth is moderated by general parental communication or parental communication about sex. Method: Data were collected from 546 African American adolescents in four neighborhoods in Chicago’s South Side. Univariate analyses, Spearman’s rank-order correlation analyses, and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: A positive association between bullying victimization and STIs acquisition was found. General parental communication did not moderate the association between bullying victimization and STIs acquisition. However, parental communication about sex did moderate the association between bullying victimization and youth STIs acquisition. Discussion: The study has important implications for developing interventions to address the adverse consequences of bully victimization that emphasize parental communication about sex as a major component.

Keywords

Adolescents African Americans bullying victimization parental communication sexually transmitted infection acquisition

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Afifi

T. D.

Joseph

Aldeis

(2008). Why can’t we just talk about it? Journal of Adolescent Research, 23(6), 689-721. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558408323841.

Agnew

(1992). Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency∗. Criminology, 30(1), 47-88. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1992.tb01093.x.

Allen

J. L.

(2021). The typology and content of parent-gay son communication about sexual identity: A qualitative content analysis. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 11(5), 411-437. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538720.2021.1900011.

Allen

J. L.

Huggins-Hoyt

K. Y.

Nobile

Boyd

D. T.

(2020). A descriptive qualitative analysis of gay men’s recollection of parental similarities and differences in their approaches to talking about sexual orientation and sexual behaviors. Journal of GLBT Family Studies. 17(3), 393-412, https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2020.1868035.

Ashcraft

A. M.

Murray

P. J.

(2017). Talking to parents about adolescent sexuality. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 64(2), 305-320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2016.11.002.

Aspy

C. B.

Vesely

S. K.

Oman

R. F.

Rodine

Marshall

McLeroy

(2007). Parental communication and youth sexual behaviour. Journal of Adolescence, 30(3), 449-466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2006.04.007.

Bauermeister

J. A.

Zimmerman

M. A.

Caldwell

C. H.

(2010). Neighborhood disadvantage and changes in condom use among African American adolescents. Journal of Urban Health, 88(1), 66-83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-010-9506-9.

Beckett

Elliott

Martino

Kanouse

Corona

Klein

Schuster

(2010). Timing of parent and child communication about sexuality relative to children’s sexual behaviors. Pediatrics, 125(34), 34-42. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-0806.

Benavides

Bonazzo

Torres

(2006). Parent-child communication: A model for Hispanics on HIV prevention. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 23(2), 81-94. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327655jchn2302_2.

10.

Berenson

A. B.

Z. H.

Breitkopf

C. R.

Newman

(2006). The relationship between source of sexual information and sexual behavior among female adolescents. Contraception, 73(3), 274-278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2005.08.014.

11.

Bowlby

(1969). Attachment and loss Vol. 1: Attachment. New York: Basic Books.

12.

Bowlby

(1977). The making and breaking of affectional bonds. British Journal of Psychiatry, 130, 201-210. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.130.3.201.

13.

Boyd

D. T.

Quinn

C. R.

Waller

Aquino

(2020). Family matters: The support of parents to change Black male’s attitudes towards HIV. Journal of Family Issues, 42(8), 1787-1804. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X20957044

14.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) HIV Surveillance Report (2018, p. 31). Updated. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html.

15.

City-Data (2015). Chicago: Author. Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com.

16.

Clawson

C. L.

Reese‐Weber

(2003). The amount and timing of parent‐adolescent sexual communication as predictors of late adolescent sexual risk‐taking behaviors. Journal of Sex Research, 40(3), 256-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224490309552190.

17.

Cunningham

N. J.

(2007). Level of bonding to school and perception of the school environment by bullies, victims, and bully victims. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 27(4), 457-478. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431607302940.

18.

Deardorff

Gonzales

N. A.

Sandler

I. N.

(2003). Control beliefs as a mediator of the relation between stress and depressive symptoms among inner-city adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31(2), 205-217. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022582410183.

19.

DiClemente

C. M.

Rice

C. M.

Quimby

Richards

M. H.

Grimes

C. T.

Morency

M. M.

White

C. D.

Miller

K. M.

Pica

J. A.

II (2018). Resilience in urban African American adolescents: The protective enhancing effects of neighborhood, family, and school cohesion following violence exposure. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 38(9), 1286-1321. https://doi.org/10.1177/02772431616675974.

20.

DiIorio

Pluhar

Belcher

(2003). Parent-Child communication about sexuality: A review of the literature from 1980-2002. Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education for Adolescents & Children, 5(3/4), 7-32. https://doi.org/10.1300/J129v05n03_02.

21.

Eisenberg

M. E.

Sieving

R. E.

Bearinger

L. H.

Swain

Resnick

M. D.

(2006). Parent’ communication with adolescents about sexual behavior: A missed opportunity for prevention? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 893-902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9093-y.

22.

Espelage

D. L.

Holt

M. K.

(2001). Bullying and victimization during early adolescence: Peer influences and psychosocial correlates. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 2(2/3), 123-142. https://doi.org/10.1300/J135v02n02_08.

23.

Fongkaew

Cupp

P. K.

Miller

B. A.

Atwood

K. A.

Chamratrithirong

Rhucharoenpornpanich

Rosati

M. J.

Chookhare

Byrnes

H. F.

(2012). Do Thai parents really know about the sexual risk taking of their children? A qualitative study in Bangkok. Nursing & Health Sciences, 14(3), 391-397. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-2018.2012.00703.x.

24.

Gaylord-Harden

N. K.

Barbarin

Tolan

P. H.

Murry

V. M.

(2018). Understanding development of African American boys and young men: Moving from risks to positive youth development. American Psychologist, 73(6), 753-767. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000300.

25.

Gladden

R. M.

Vivolo-Kantor

A. M.

Hamburger

M. E.

Lumpkin

C. D.

(2014). Bullying surveillance among youths: Uniform definitions for public health and recommended data elements, Version 1.0. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and U.S. Department of Education.

26.

Gottfredson

M. R.

Hirschi

(1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

27.

Guzmán

B. L.

Schlehofer-Sutton

M. M.

Villanueva

C. M.

Stritto

M. E. D.

Casad

B. J.

Feria

(2003). Let's talk about sex: How comfortable discussions about sex impact teen sexual behavior. Journal of Health Communication, 8(6), 583-598. https://doi.org/10.1080/716100416.

28.

Haight

W. L.

Kagle

J. D.

Black

J. E.

(2003). Understanding and supporting parent-child relationships during foster care visits: Attachment theory and research. Social Work, 48(2), 195-207. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/48.2.195.

29.

Harris

A. L.

Fantasia

H. C.

Castle

C. E.

(2019). Father 2 son: The impact of African American father-son sexual communication on African American adolescent sons’ sexual behaviors. American Journal of Men's Health, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988318804725.

30.

Hertz

M. F.

Everett Jones

Barrios

David-Ferdon

Holt

(2015). Association between bullying victimization and health risk behaviors among high school students in the United States. Journal of School Health, 85(12), 833-842. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12339.

31.

Hicks

M. S.

McRee

A. L.

Eisenberg

M. E.

(2013). Teens talking with their partners about sex: The role of parent communication. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 8(1-2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2013.790219.

32.

Holt

M. K.

Matjasko

J. L.

Espelage

Reid

Koenig

(2013). Sexual risk taking and bullying among adolescents. Pediatrics, 132(6), e1481-e1487. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-0401.

33.

Hong

J. S.

Kim

Lee

J. J.

Shamoun

C. L.

Lee

J. M.

Voisin

D. R.

(2019). Pathways from peer victimization to sexually transmitted infections among African American adolescents. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 41(6), 798-815. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945918797327.

34.

Kam

J. A.

Cleveland

M. J.

(2011). Perceived discrimination as a risk factor for latina/o youth's substance use: Do parent- and peer-based communication and relationship resources act as protective factors? Journal of Health Communication, 26(2), 111-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2010.539180.

35.

Karofsky

Zeng

Kosorok

(2000). Relationship between adolescent-parental communication and initiation of first intercourse by adolescents. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 28(1), 41-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(00)00156-7.

36.

Keijsers

Poulin

(2013). Developmental changes in parent-child communication throughout adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 49(12), 2301-2308. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032217.

37.

Kracke

Hahn

(2008). The nature and extent of childhood exposure to violence: what we know, why we don’t know more, and why it matters. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 8, 29-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926790801982394.

38.

Maniglio

(2015). Association between peer victimization in adolescence and cannabis use: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 25, 252-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2015.09.002.

39.

Martin

K. A.

Luke

(2010). Gender differences in the ABC’s of the birds and the bees: What mothers teach young children about sexuality and reproduction. Sex Roles, 62, 278-291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9731-4.

40.

Martino

S. C.

Elliott

M. N.

Corona

Kanouse

D. E.

Schuster

M. A.

(2008). Beyond the “big talk”: The roles of breadth and repetition in parent-adolescent communication about sexual topics. Pediatrics, 121(3), e612-e618. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-2156.

41.

Maulsby

Millett

Lindsey

Kelley

Johnson

Montoya

Holtgrave

(2013). A systematic review of HIV interventions for black men who have sex with men (MSM). BMC Public Health, 13, 625. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-625.

42.

McCart

M. R.

Smith

D. W.

Saunders

B. E.

Kilpatrick

D. G.

Resnick

Ruggiero

K. J.

(2007). Do urban adolescents become desensitized to community violence? Data from a national survey. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(3), 434-442. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.77.3.434.

43.

Mishna

Alaggia

(2005). Weighing the risks: A child’s decision to disclose peer victimization. Children & Schools, 27(4), 217-226. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/27.4.217.

44.

Moitra

Mukherjee

(2012). Parent-adolescent communication and delinquency: A comparative study in Kolkata, India. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 8(1), 74-94. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v8i1.299.

45.

O’Donnell

Stueve

Duran

Myint-U

Agronick

San Doval

Wilson-Simmons

(2008). Parenting practices, parents’ underestimation of daughters’ risks, and alcohol and sexual behaviors of urban girls. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 42(5), 496-502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.10.008.

46.

Ogle

Glasier

Riley

S. C.

(2008). Communication between parents and their children about sexual health. Contraception, 77(4), 283-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2007.12.003.

47.

Okumu

Mengo

Ombayo

Small

(2017). Bullying and HIV risk among high school teenagers: The mediating role of teen dating violence. Journal of School Health, 87(10), 743-750. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12547.

48.

Perrino

González-Soldevilla

Pantin

Szapocznik

(2000). The role of families in adolescent HIV prevention: A review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 3(2), 81-96. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009571518900.

49.

Purcell

(2012). A qualitative study of perceptions of bullying in Irish primary schools. Educational Psychology in Practice, 28(3), 273-285. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2012.684343.

50.

Regnerus

M. D.

(2005). Talking about sex: Religion and patterns of parent-child communication about sex and contraception. The Sociological Quarterly, 46(1), 79-105. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533-8525.2005.00005.x.

51.

Rhee

Lee

S.-Y.

Jung

S.-H.

(2017). Ethnic differences in bullying victimization and psychological distress: A test of an ecological model. Journal of Adolescence, 60, 155-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.07.013.

52.

Robinson

J. P.

Espelage

D. L.

(2013). Peer victimization and sexual risk differences between lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning and nontransgender heterosexual youths in grades 7-12. American Journal of Public Health, 103(10), 1810-1819. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301387.

53.

Rogers

A. A.

(2017). Parent-adolescent sexual communication and adolescents’ sexual behaviors: A conceptual model and systematic review. Adolescent Research Review, 2(4), 293-313. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-016-0049-5.

54.

Ryan

Roman

N. V.

Okwany

(2015). The effects of parental monitoring and communication on adolescent substance use and risky sexual activity: A systematic review. The Open Family Studies Journal, 7, 12-27. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874922401507010012.

55.

Sampson

R. J.

Laub

J. H.

(1993). Crime in the making: Pathways and turning points through life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

56.

Schafer

J. L

(1999). Imputation procedures for missing data. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

57.

Somers

C. L.

Paulson

S. E.

(2000). Students’ perceptions of parent-adolescent closeness and communication about sexuality: relations with sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Journal of Adolescence, 23(5), 629-644. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.2000.0349.

58.

Steinberg

Lamborn

S. D.

Dornbusch

S. M.

Darling

(1992). Impact of parenting practices on adolescent achievement: Authoritative parenting, school involvement, and encouragement to succeed. Child Development, 63(5), 1266-1281. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1992.tb01694.x.

59.

Stockdale

M. S.

Hangaduambo

Duys

Larson

Sarvela

P. D.

(2002). Rural elementary students', parents', and teachers' perceptions of bullying. American Journal of Health Behavior, 26(4), 266-277. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.26.4.3.

60.

Sutton

M. Y.

Lasswell

S. M.

Lanier

Miller

K. S.

(20141988-2012). Impact of parent-child communication interventions on sex behaviors and cognitive outcomes for black/african-american and hispanic/Latino Youth: A systematic review, 1988-2012. Journal of Adolescent Health, 54(4), 369-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.11.004.

61.

Turpin

R. E.

Salerno

J. P.

Rosario

A. D.

Boekeloo

(2021). Victimization, substance use, depression, and sexual risk in adolescent males who have sex with males: A syndemic latent profile analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50, 961-971. https:/doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01685-z.

62.

Udell

Donenberg

(2011). Brief report: Parent discussions about sexual risk with African American sons: The role of religiosity. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, 7(6), 121-129. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol7/iss6/7.

63.

Voisin

D. R.

Jenkins

E. J.

Takahashi

(2011). Toward a conceptual model linking community violence exposure to HIV-related risk behaviors among adolescents: Directions for research. Journal of Adolescent Health, 49(3), 230-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.01.002.

64.

Wang

Chen

Zhang

Oudekerk

B. A.

(2020). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2019 (NCES 2020-063/NCJ 254485). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

65.

Widman

Choukas-Bradley

Noar

S. M.

Nesi

Garrett

(2016). Parent-adolescent sexual communication and adolescent safer sex behavior. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(1), 52-61. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.2731.

66.

Widman

Evans

Javidi

Choukas-Bradley

(2019). Assessment of Parent-Based Interventions for Adolescent Sexual Health. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(9), 866-877. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.2324.

67.

Wilson

H. W.

Woods

B. A.

Emerson

Donenberg

G. R.

(2012). Patterns of violence exposure and sexual risk in low-income, urban African American girls. Psychology of Violence, 2(2), 194-207. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027265.

68.

Yang

(2015). Multilevel associations between bullying victimization, school engagement, and social-emotional learning. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Delaware]. ProQuest Dissertation Publishing.