Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Major/Program
Public Health
First Advisor's Name
Miguel Ángel Cano
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee chair
Second Advisor's Name
Mary Jo Trepka
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Third Advisor's Name
Tan Li
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Fourth Advisor's Name
Daniel Bagner
Fourth Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Keywords
extended family, coresidence, nuclear family, single-parent, dual-parent, two parent, Add health, family structure, household structure, adolescent, sexual risk behavior, U.S., STI, pregnancy, race, ethnicity, family cohesion, interaction, longitudinal, poisson, ZIP, grandparent
Date of Defense
11-12-2020
Abstract
It is known that dual-parent nuclear households are protective against sexual risk behavior. However, current measures of household structure do not include extended family structure, which has markedly increased over the past sixty years. The growing body of research that does focus on extended family structure largely excludes sexual risk behavior. This study bridges the gap by examining the association between extended family structure and sexual risk behavior.
Responses from 1,386 adolescents who participated in the Add Health study were analyzed. Results showed extended family structure was associated with increased sexual risk behavior for all adolescents, regardless of dual parent status (IRRdual = 2.01, pdual < 0.01, IRRsingle = 1.46, psingle= 0.02). After adjustment, the effect persisted only among those from single-parent households (IRR = 1.45, p = 0.01). Additional findings were that perceived family cohesion moderated the association among adolescents from single-parent households (B = -0.14, p = 0.03). As perceived family cohesion increased, its effect of extended family structure on sexual risk behavior decreased. In the same group, the interaction between race and extended family structure was statistically significant. Upon probing the interaction, while White (IRR = 1.64, B = 0.50, p =
Overall, a higher incidence rate of sexual risk behavior was found among adolescents exposed to extended family structure, particularly in single-parent households. The findings highlight that additional adults in the home may not provide single parents with the functional equivalence of dual-parent households with regard to minimizing sexual risk behavior in their children. Health educators may use this research to inform the design and modification of interventions for sexual risk behavior and offer opportunities to enhance family cohesion. At the policy-level, resources can be allocated towards the preservation of nuclear households.
Identifier
FIDC009215
Recommended Citation
Nisbett, Alnecia Rumphs, "The Role of Extended Family Structure on Sexual Risk Behavior Among Adolescents in the United States: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey" (2020). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4572.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4572
Included in
Clinical Epidemiology Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Infectious Disease Commons, Maternal and Child Health Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Multivariate Analysis Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons
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