Abstract
Background and purpose: Research on Arab-Americans as a distinct ethnic group is limited, especially when considering the health of Arab-American youth. This study describes health risk (substance use, violence); health promotive behaviors (hope, spirituality); and sexual activity (oral, vaginal, anal sex) of Arab-American adolescents and emerging adults (aged 15–23) within their life context, as well as the association between these behaviors. Methods: A secondary analysis of data on a subset of Arab-American participants obtained from a randomized-control trial was utilized to conduct mixed methods analyses. Qualitative analyses completed on the open-ended questions used the constant comparative method for a subsample (n = 24) of participants. Descriptive quantitative analyses of survey data utilized bivariate analyses and stepwise logistic regression to explore the relation between risk behaviors and sexual activity among the full sample (n = 57). Conclusions: Qualitative analyses revealed two groups of participants: (a) multiple risk behaviors and negative life-events, and (b) minimal risk behaviors and positive life-events. Quantitative analyses indicated older youth, smokers, and those with higher hope pathways were more likely to report vaginal sex. Implications for practice: The unique cultural and social contexts of Arab-American youth provide a framework for recommendations for the prevention of risk behaviors.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 493-502 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:©2016 American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Keywords
- Adolescents
- cultural assessment
- health assessment
- health promotion
- prevention