Attitudes Toward Sex and Risky Sexual Behavior Among Caribbean Female Adolescents

This study explores the attitudes of adolescent Caribbean girls toward sex and whether they engage in risky sexual behavior. Singular studies of adolescent girls remain largely absent from empirical investigations on sex and sexuality, which in part reflects the cultural norms of which sex and reproductive health are not as openly discussed in the Caribbean as they are in North America (Archibald, 2007). Young women in the Caribbean often engage in sexual behaviors with minimal knowledge and many misconceptions about the consequences of intercourse. As a result of the limited and often fear-laden discussions adolescent girls receive from authority figures (e.g., parents, teachers, pastors) little is known about the attitudes of adolescent Caribbean girls toward sex and whether they engage in risky sexual behavior. In this study, a total of 2534 female adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago and 1365 female adolescents in Guyana, grades 10-12, were randomly selected to participate in two nationally representative surveys conducted in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Ordinary least squares regression analyses are utilized to compare how the attitudinal differences of female adolescents in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago contribute to them engaging in risky sexual behaviors such as consuming alcohol or drugs before intercourse and failing to use pregnancy prevention method. Prevention efforts to reduce engagement in risky sexual behaviors among Caribbean adolescents will depend on gender sensitive and culturally appropriate intervention approaches.