Developmental relations and patterns of change between alcohol use and number of sexual partners from adolescence through adulthood.

Abstract Sexual coercion affects approximately 58% of college-age females. Victims of sexual coercion often share similar characteristics, such as lower self-esteem, lower assertiveness, higher depressive symptoms, higher alcohol use, increased number of sexual partners, more romantic relationships, prior victimization, and relationship insecurity. Female athletes, on the other hand, have in common such protective factors as higher self-esteem, higher assertiveness, lower alcohol use, and fewer sexual partners. These, then, are assumed to guard against sexual coercion. The purpose of this study was to determine if female athletes were at a lower risk for sexual coercion and whether differences existed in levels of assertiveness, sexual assertiveness, self-esteem, sexual esteem, alcohol use, and the number of sexual partners. Participants included 174 college females (aged 19.94 ± 1.87 years). Participants were identified as an athlete if they reported a history of at least three years of athl iation etic involvement and described themselves as either a high school athlete or having participated in competitive sports (n=125). From among all the participants, 49 were classified as non-athletes. Data demonstrated no differences in either forced or coerced sexual contact history. Athletes and nonathletes differed neither in global nor sexual self-esteem, nor did they differ in global or sexual assertiveness. There was a significant difference across the groups in alcohol use: athletes scored higher on the AUDIT than non-athletes. The number of years of sport involvement positively correlated with the level of alcohol use. Athletes and non-athletes reported similar numbers of sexual partners. The findings of this study imply that athletics may indirectly place females at risk for sexual coercion through an assocwith higher alcohol use.

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Risky sexual behavior in college students: Relationships between number of sexual partners, disclosure of previous risky behavior, and alcohol use

Journal of Youth and Adolescence ◽

10.1007/bf01537560 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 55-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Laurie L. Desiderato ◽

Helen J. Crawford

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Sexual Behavior ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Risky Sexual Behavior ◽

Risky Behavior ◽

Sexual Partners ◽

Number Of Sexual Partners

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Alcohol Use Predicts Number of Sexual Partners for Female but not Male STI Clinic Patients

AIDS and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s10461-015-1177-9 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (S1) ◽

pp. 52-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Kate B. Carey ◽

Theresa E. Senn ◽

Jennifer L. Walsh ◽

Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon ◽

Michael P. Carey

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Sexual Partners ◽

Number Of Sexual Partners

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Differences in vaginal microbiome in African American women versus women of European ancestry

Microbiology ◽

10.1099/mic.0.081034-0 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 160 (10) ◽

pp. 2272-2282 ◽

Cited By ~ 198

Author(s):

Jennifer M. Fettweis ◽

J. Paul Brooks ◽

Myrna G. Serrano ◽

Nihar U. Sheth ◽

Philippe H. Girerd ◽

...

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Preterm Birth ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Bacterial Vaginosis ◽

African American Women ◽

Sexual Partners ◽

European Ancestry ◽

Vaginal Microbiome ◽

American Women ◽

Number Of Sexual Partners

Women of European ancestry are more likely to harbour a Lactobacillus-dominated microbiome, whereas African American women are more likely to exhibit a diverse microbial profile. African American women are also twice as likely to be diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis and are twice as likely to experience preterm birth. The objective of this study was to further characterize and contrast the vaginal microbial profiles in African American versus European ancestry women. Through the Vaginal Human Microbiome Project at Virginia Commonwealth University, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis was used to compare the microbiomes of vaginal samples from 1268 African American women and 416 women of European ancestry. The results confirmed significant differences in the vaginal microbiomes of the two groups and identified several taxa relevant to these differences. Major community types were dominated by Gardnerella vaginalis and the uncultivated bacterial vaginosis-associated bacterium-1 (BVAB1) that were common among African Americans. Moreover, the prevalence of multiple bacterial taxa that are associated with microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity and preterm birth, including Mycoplasma, Gardnerella, Prevotella and Sneathia, differed between the two ethnic groups. We investigated the contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including pregnancy, body mass index, diet, smoking and alcohol use, number of sexual partners, and household income, to vaginal community composition. Ethnicity, pregnancy and alcohol use correlated significantly with the relative abundance of bacterial vaginosis-associated species. Trends between microbial profiles and smoking and number of sexual partners were observed; however, these associations were not statistically significant. These results support and extend previous findings that there are significant differences in the vaginal microbiome related to ethnicity and demonstrate that these differences are pronounced even in healthy women.

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