Sexual behaviors among war-affected male youth in postconflict sierra leone

Kendra P.De Loach McCutcheon, Binta Alleyne-Green, Alex Kulick, Kimberly Bonds Grocher, Theresa S. Betancourt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We were interested in examining the trajectory of sexual behaviors and practices that have yet to be examined among a sample of adolescents affected by war. This study explored sexual behaviors among a sample of adolescent males whose childhoods were affected by war (N = 169) in postconflict Sierra Leone. Results indicated that age of sexual debut was significantly associated with condom use. Specifically, those who had a sexual debut as midadolescents (15-17 years old) were less likely to have used a condom, compared to those who had a sexual debut as adults (18 or older). Furthermore, age was also significantly associated with having multiple partners in the last year. Older respondents indicated higher odds of having multiple partners. Findings suggest that this population may benefit from health education campaigns that include early intervention that focus on healthy sexual behaviors.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)340-345
Number of pages6
JournalPeace and Conflict
Volume26
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2020

Keywords

  • Child soldiers
  • Males
  • Sexual behavior
  • Sierra Leone
  • War-affected youth

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Political Science and International Relations

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