Sexual activity and school deviant behaviour among adolescents: peer influence and homophily interactions with sex and ethnicity

Criminologist and sociologists have since long recognized the importance of peer influence in adolescence, but only rarely are peer influence interactions studied with regard to important salient status characteristics. This study examines whether homophily status characteristics condition the influence between best friends and the individual´s behaviour. The focus of the study is on school deviant behaviour as well as sexual activity. More specifically, we address the question to what extent peer influence differs for friends of the same sex or ethnicity (i.e. homophilic relationships), compared to friends who differ on sex and ethnicity (i.e. heterophilic relationships). Data from the Flemish Educational Assessment Study are used, which collected complete network data, from a representative sample of Flemish adolescents in secondary schools (N=11,837), clustered in 160 networks. Results indicate that peers best friend relationships are indeed strongly homophilic on both of these status dimensions and that homophilic friendships are significantly more influential than heterophilic ones. Further results show that native Belgian adolescents (majority teens) are significantly more influenced by homophilic relationships than adolescents belonging to a ethno-cultural minority group (minority teens). For sexual activity, girls are influenced stronger by homophilic relationships than boys, while for school deviant behavior the opposite is true. Cross-ethnic influence of majority teens on minority teens is substantially smaller than for minority teens on majority teens, especially for sexual activity. Implications of these findings for theory development and prevention programs are discussed

AIDS Knowledge and Sexual Activity among Flemish Secondary School Students: the Effects of Type of Education

Using data from the Flemish Educational Assessment survey, this paper examines how AIDS knowledge and sexual activity co-vary among Flemish secondary school students, and how they are affected by education type. Results indicate that type of education affects both an adolescent´s onset of sexuality and his/her AIDS knowledge, and these effects prove robust for differences in socio-economic backgrounds. Students in lower status education types are more likely to be sexually active and to have poorer AIDS knowledge. The relationship between AIDS knowledge and sexual activity is, however, more complex. Although students in education types with poorer AIDS knowledge are more sexually active, within each of these groups the sexually active have better AIDS knowledge than the non-sexually active ones. There is also evidence of active information seeking by sexually active students which leads to improved AIDS knowledge

Alcohol use among young adolescents in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria: The effects of type of education

The present study elucidates the association between students’ education type and alcohol use, controlling for other socio-economic background characteristics. A subsample of data from the second International Self-Reported Delinquency Study was used (N= 10,525), collected among adolescents in the seventh to ninth grades of secondary school in four Western European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria). Data were analysed with multilevel logistic regression techniques. There is an indication that type of education affects prevalence rates of drunkenness and heavy episodic drinking; these effects prove robust for differences in socio-economic backgrounds. In all countries except Belgium, students in education types of lower status show higher prevalence rates for drunkenness and heavy episodic drinking. Lifetime alcohol prevalence rates do not vary much between students from different educational tracks. The results of this study support the literature regarding the role of the educational system in the reproduction of health inequalities and underscore the finding that students from education types of lower status are at greater risk than those from higher status types

AIDS knowledge and sexual activity among Flemish secondary school students: a multilevel analysis of the effects of type of education

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The behavior of adolescents puts them at an increased risk for HIV and other STIs, and their knowledge about HIV/AIDS is often inadequate. An understanding of how AIDS knowledge and sexual activity co-vary among Flemish secondary school students and of how education type, specifically, affects these students is limited. This study addresses the question of whether the effects of education type on HIV/AIDS knowledge and sexual activity are independent of the socio-demographic characteristics of the students.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from the Flemish Educational Assessment survey, which collected data from a large representative sample of third- and fifth-grade high school students (<it>N </it>= 11,872), were used. Data were analyzed using multilevel logistic and Poisson regression techniques.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There is an indication that type of education affects both an adolescent's sexual activity and his/her AIDS knowledge; these effects prove robust for differences in socio-economic backgrounds. Students in lower status education types are more likely to be sexually active and to have poorer AIDS knowledge. The relationship between AIDS knowledge and sexual activity is, however, more complex. Although students in education types with poorer AIDS knowledge are more sexually active, within each of these groups the sexually active have better AIDS knowledge than the non-sexually active. There is also evidence of active information seeking by sexually active students, which leads to improved AIDS knowledge.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings are consistent with the literature on the role of the educational system in the reproduction of social inequalities. Students from lower status education types are at increased sexual risk compared to those from higher status types. There is also evidence of active information seeking by sexually active students, which leads to improved AIDS knowledge.</p

Alcohol and cannabis use among adolescents in Flemish secondary school in Brussels: effects of type of education

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Research regarding socio-economic differences in alcohol and drug use in adolescence yields mixed results. This study hypothesizes that (1) when using education type as a proxy of one's social status, clear differences will exist between students from different types of education, regardless of students' familial socio-economic background; (2) and that the effects of education type differ according to their cultural background.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from the Brussels youth monitor were used, a school survey administered among 1,488 adolescents from the 3rd to 6th year of Flemish secondary education. Data were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Controlling for their familial background, the results show that native students in lower educational tracks use alcohol and cannabis more often than students in upper educational tracks. Such a relationship was not found for students from another ethnic background.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results from this study indicate that research into health risks should take into account both adolescents' familial background and individual social position as different components of youngsters' socio-economic background.</p