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Influencing factors on high-risk sexual behaviors in young people: an ecological perspective

  • Hoda Arabi-Mianrood , Zeinab Hamzehgardeshi , Elham Khoori , Mahmood Moosazadeh and Zohreh Shahhosseini EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: April 19, 2017

Abstract

Background

In recent years, high-risk sexual behaviors due to their negative consequences both for the individual and society have received more attention than other high-risk behaviors.

Objective

The aim of this study was to review the influencing factors of high-risk sexual behaviors among young people from an ecological point of view.

Methods

This review was conducted through searching databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library with keywords such as sexual risk-taking behavior, high-risk sex, unprotected sex and unsafe sex. The relevant papers published between 1995 and 2016 were extracted. After reviewing the abstract and full text of the articles, 45 papers were used to write this article.

Results

From an ecological theory approach, factors which influence high-risk sexual behaviors are divided into three categories – the microsystem, the mesosystem and the macrosystem. The microsystem includes factors such as age, gender, race, marital status, place of residence, religion, level of education, personality traits, psychological problems, childhood experiences, body image and coincidence of high-risk behaviors; the mesosystem includes factors such as family structure, peers and sex education; in the macrosystem, the impact of culture and traditions of the society, economic status and the media are presented.

Conclusion

Given that high-risk sexual behaviors often have multiple causes, it seems that health policymakers must consider multi-dimensional interventions to influence high-risk sexual behaviors based on the ecological approach.

Acknowledgments

The authors extend their gratitude to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences for financial support (Research project 2446), which made the writing of this paper possible.

References

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Received: 2016-12-28
Accepted: 2017-02-28
Published Online: 2017-04-19

©2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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