Marseille 2007
| Abstract #62 - Masculine gender role attitudes and sexual risk among adolescents in South Africa | ||||
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Session: 37.1: Navigating risk and safety (Parallel) on Tuesday @ 14.00-16.00 in Auditorium/Overflow Chaired by Susan M. Kiene, Danuta Kasprzyk Authors: Presenting Author: Prof Arvin Bhana - Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa |
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| Additional Authors: Prof Rick Zimmerman, Prof Pam Cupp, Prof Sonja Feist-Price, | ||||
| Aim: Prevalence rates for HIV/AIDS among young people in South Africa vary widely on the basis of gender, particularly among youth between 15-24 years of age. This difference is most dramatic among young adults between the ages of 20-24 where 6% of young men and 24% of young women are HIV positive (Shishana, Rehle, Simbayi, Parker, Zuma, Bhana, et al., 2005; UNAIDS, 2005). While increasing attention is being paid to understand the gendered nature of the HIV epidemic by focusing on differences in male and female roles in relation to various social and behavioral practices (Varga, 2003), very little attention has been paid to the broader social contexts of sexual behavior (Pleck, 1987). Traditional male norms may have a strong influence on how adolescent males may put themselves at risk for STDs, including HIV as well as placing their partners at risk. Gender-role strain theory is used to explain how traditional male norms define masculinity and may increase sexual risk among adolescents. | ||||
| Method / Issue: A 2-group (a peer-led skills-based HIV and alcohol intervention condition or brief interventional HIV and alcohol conditions) randomized pre-post design was used to assign the eight schools involved in the HIV and Alcohol Prevention in Schools (HAPS) project. Pre-test data was used to examine the relationship between masculinity and sexual risk characteristics. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Correlational and multivariate regression analyses controlling for gender show that traditional masculine role behavior among males correlated positively with negative attitudes to condom use and positive attitudes to alcohol use. Traditional masculine role behavior was also positively correlated with the likelihood of engaging in sex in the following year, consuming alcohol during sex, and carrying a condom on their person at all times. | ||||
| Discussion: Gender-role strain is a key element in increasing sexual risk among male adolescents. Intervention programs targeted to adolescent youth need to include developing critical understandings of masculine roles and their influence on risk-taking behavior. | ||||
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