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Unprotected Sex of Homeless Youth: Results from a Multilevel Dyadic Analysis of Individual, Social Network, and Relationship Factors

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Abstract

Homeless youth have elevated risk of HIV through sexual behavior. This project investigates the multiple levels of influence on unprotected sex among homeless youth, including social network, individual, and partner level influences. Findings are based on analyses of an exploratory, semi-structured interview (n = 40) and a structured personal network interview (n = 240) with randomly selected homeless youth in Los Angeles. Previous social network studies of risky sex by homeless youth have collected limited social network data from non-random samples and have not distinguished sex partner influences from other network influences. The present analyses have identified significant associations with unprotected sex at multiple levels, including individual, partner, and, to a lesser extent, the social network. Analyses also distinguished between youth who did or did not want to use condoms when they had unprotected sex. Implications for social network based HIV risk interventions with homeless youth are discussed.

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by Grant R01DA020351 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (P.I. Joan Tucker). We thank the youth who shared their experiences with us, the service agencies that collaborated in the study, and the RAND Survey Research Group for their assistance in data collection.

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  1. RAND Health, RAND Corporation, P.O. Box 2138, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA

    David P. Kennedy, Joan S. Tucker, Harold D. Green Jr., Daniela Golinelli & Brett Ewing

  2. UCLA Center for Health Services and Society, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    David P. Kennedy

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  1. David P. Kennedy
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  2. Joan S. Tucker
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  3. Harold D. Green Jr.
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  4. Daniela Golinelli
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Correspondence to David P. Kennedy.

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Kennedy, D.P., Tucker, J.S., Green, H.D. et al. Unprotected Sex of Homeless Youth: Results from a Multilevel Dyadic Analysis of Individual, Social Network, and Relationship Factors. AIDS Behav 16, 2015–2032 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-012-0195-0

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