Number of Sexual Partners and Relationship Status Are Associated With Unprotected Sex Across Emerging Adulthood.

ABSTRACT: Sex with multiple partners, consecutively or concurrently, is a risk factor for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as multiple partner-partner contacts present increased opportunity for transmission. It is unclear, however, if individuals who tend to have more partners also use protection less reliably than those with sexual histories of fewer partners. Longitudinal data can elucidate whether an individual shows a consistent pattern of sex with multiple partners. We used latent class growth analyses to examine emerging adult survey data (N = 2244) spanning 10 waves of assessment across 6 years. We identified three trajectory classes described with respect to number of partners as (a) Multiple, (b) Single, and (c) Rare. Trajectory group, relationship status, and their intera

SUBMITTER: Ashenhurst JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5806124 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature