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Behavioral differences exist between countries, regions, and religions. With rapid development in recent decades, an increasing number of international immigrants from different regions with different religions have settled in China. The degrees to which sexual behaviors-particularly risky sexual behaviors-differ by religion and geographical areas are not known. We aim to estimate the associations of religion and geographical areas with sexual behaviors of international immigrants and provide evidence for promoting the sexual health of international immigrants. A cross-sectional study was conducted via the internet with a snowball sampling method among international immigrants in China. In our study, risky sexual behaviors included having multiple sexual partners and engaging in unprotected sex. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the basic characteristics of international immigrants as well as their sexual behaviors, religious affiliations, and geographical regions of origin. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses with multiplicative and additive interactions were used to identify aspects of religion and geography that were associated with risky sexual behaviors among international immigrants. A total of 1433 international immigrants were included in the study. South Americans and nonreligious immigrants were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, and Asian and Buddhist immigrants were less likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. The majority of the Muslims had sexually transmitted infection and HIV testing experiences; however, Muslims had a low willingness to do these tests in the future. The multivariate analysis showed that Muslim (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.453, 95% CI 0.228-0.897), Hindu (AOR 0.280, 95% CI 0.082-0.961), and Buddhist (AOR 0.097, 95% CI 0.012-0.811) immigrants were less likely to report engaging in unprotected sexual behaviors. Buddhist immigrants (AOR 0.292, 95% CI 0.086-0.990) were also less likely to have multiple sexual partners. With regard to geography, compared to Asians, South Americans (AOR 2.642, 95% CI 1.034-6.755), Europeans (AOR 2.310, 95% CI 1.022-5.221), and North Africans (AOR 3.524, 95% CI 1.104-11.248) had a higher probability of having multiple sexual partners. The rates of risky sexual behaviors among international immigrants living in China differed depending on their religions and geographical areas of origin. South Americans and nonreligious immigrants were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. It is necessary to promote measures, including HIV self-testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis implementation, and targeted sexual health education, among international immigrants in China.

Human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) counseling affirms that people exercise the right to know their HIV status, which opens the gateway to care, treatment, and support for a person in need. HIV counseling and testing uptake among sexually active males in Ethiopia is too low. Moreover, existing studies were not done at country level and the contributing factors were not well studied. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the status of uptake and identify its correlates using the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. Data on 12,688 participants were utilized in this study. Descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic regression were used to summarize the data and investigate the associations between predictors and HIV counseling and testing uptake. The overall HIV voluntary counseling and testing uptake among sexually active men in Ethiopia was 45.69%; 95% CI [43.08%, 48.33%]. About 13% of the variation in the likelihood of being tested for HIV was due to the variation among the regions. On the other hand, age, religion, education, occupation, marital status, HIV knowledge, health insurance coverage, wealth status, risky sexual behavior, family planning discussion with health workers, owning a mobile, frequency of watching television, and listening to the radio were significantly associated with the uptake of HIV voluntary counseling and testing. HIV voluntary counseling and testing uptake in Ethiopia is still low and varies across the regions, which might hamper the ambitious plan of Ethiopia to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Therefore, giving due consideration to scale up HIV knowledge to avoid risky sexual behavior, improving access to health insurance and media, and working on the significant modifiable sociodemographic determinants are worthy to boost HIV voluntary counselling and testing uptake, which is an integral component of the strategies to efficiently prevent and control HIV.

This research examined gender-specific perceptions of risky sexual behavior norms among college students and their relationship with one's own sexual behavior. We expected that students would misperceive the risky sexual behavior of their peers and that these perceptions would positively relate to their sexual behavior. Undergraduate students from the United States (N=687; 57.6% female) completed measures assessing perceived sexual behavior, sexual behavior, and other behaviors (e.g., marijuana use, alcohol consumption). Findings demonstrated that students perceived that others engaged in more risky sexual behavior than they do and that perceived norms were positively associated with one's own behavior. The incorporation of personalized normative feedback regarding risky sexual behavior into brief interventions aimed at reducing risky sexual behavior is discussed. Adapted from the source document.

Objectives: Adolescents exposed to alcohol have increased risky sexual behaviors (RSBs); however, the association between alcohol consumption and RSBs has to be systematically and quantitatively reviewed. We conducted a meta-analysis of the literature to systematically and quantitatively review the association between alcohol consumption and RSBs in adolescents and young adults. Methods: We searched for qualified articles published from 2000 to 2020 and calculated pooled odds ratios (ORs) using the random-effect model. We also conducted meta-regression and sensitivity analyses to identify potential heterogeneity moderators. Results: The meta-analysis of 50 studies involving 465,595 adolescents and young adults indicated that alcohol consumption was significantly associated with early sexual initiation (OR = 1.958, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.635–2.346), inconsistent condom use (OR = 1.228, 95% CI = 1.114–1.354), and having multiple sexual partners (OR = 1.722, 95% CI = 1.525–1.945). Conclusion: Alcohol consumption is strongly associated with RSBs, including early sexual initiation, inconsistent condom use, and multiple sexual partners among adolescents and young adults. To prevent the adverse consequences of alcohol consumption, drinking prevention programs should be initiated at an early age and supported by homes, schools, and communities.

Compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) is a prevalent disorder among adolescents. To date, most studies focused on the self-report assessment of individuals without assessing possible parental practices that might alleviate or exacerbate adolescents’ CSB. In the present research, I adopted the family systematic approach, which considers the effects of family context on children’s and adolescents’ development and examined whether and how parental (fathers’ and mothers’) support giving, communication, and restrictive mediation relate to children’s current and future severity of CSB. The sample comprised 300 Israeli families [triad of mothers, fathers, and one adolescent (39% boys, 61% girls; age 14–18)]. Results indicate that maternal support and paternal quality of communication with children significantly predicted lower severity of current and future CSB, respectively. These findings highlight an important and understudied topic in the hope of motivating additional researchers and practitioners to adopt a familial, microsystem perspective on healthy sexual development—a perspective that holds great promise in promoting normal sexual development and in decreasing risky sexual behaviors.

Background Risky sexual behavior (RSB) is one of the major youth sexual and reproductive health problems globally, including in Ethiopia. RSB among youth increases the risk of HIV infection, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancy, and unsafe abortion. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine RSB and its associated factors among university students in Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was employed in six randomly selected public universities in Ethiopia from August 2021 to February 2022. A stratified two-stage sampling technique was applied to reach the required number of study participants, and a structured self-administered questionnaire was used. RSB was defined as having had sexual relationships with more than one partner and using condoms with a new sexual partner irregularly or not at all in the last 12 months. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with RSB among those participants who were sexually active. Results The prevalence of RSB among those who had had sexual intercourse in the last 12 months ( n  = 523) was 19.5% ( n  = 102). One hundred forty-four (29.9%) students had multiple sexual partners, and 325 (69.3%) students did not always use condoms with a new sexual partner. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) showed that those students aged 21–24 years had lower odds of RSB than those aged above 25 years AOR 0.18 (95% CI 0.03–0.98). The adjusted odds of RSB were 6.7 times higher (95% CI 1.26–35.30) among students who started sex at the age of 10–17 years than those who started sex at 21 years and above and 3.9 times higher (95% CI 1.33–11.39) among students who had experienced emotional violence. Conclusion RSB continues to be a problem among university students in Ethiopia. Those students who started sex at an early age and those who experienced emotional violence were more likely to engage in RSB. Therefore, universities in Ethiopia should implement strategies such as RSB targeted health education programs that consider early sexual debut, experiences of emotional violence, and safe sexual practices.

We explore the possibility that self-defeating behaviors represent self-regulatory success rather than failure. Specifically, we suggest that drug use, overeating, risky sexual behavior, self-harm, and martyrdom represent means toward individuals' goals. In this capacity, they may be initiated and pursued upon goal activation despite potentially negative consequences, and thus exemplify the long-held notion that the end justifies the means. We propose a means-end analysis, present evidence that these activities demonstrate the hallmarks of goal pursuit, and discuss novel implications for understanding these behaviors.

Sensation seeking (SS)—the seeking of novel and intense sensations or experiences and the willingness to take risks for the sake of such experiences—has been shown to be related to various risky sexual behaviors (RSBs) in areas such as multiple sexual partners, condom use, and sexual initiation. The aims of the current meta-analysis were to examine (1) how SS relates to specific RSBs in adolescents and (2) how the overall relationship between SS and RSB differs across sex, race, and age. Overall, a total of 40 studies met the inclusion criteria for our meta-analysis examining the relationship between SS and RSB, contributing 102 effect sizes. RSB variables included unprotected sex; multiple sexual partners; hazardous sexual activity; sexual initiation; virginity status; and history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) diagnosis. Moderating effects of sex, race, and age were also examined. The overall mean effect size of the correlational relationship between adolescent SS and RSB was statistically significant, as were the mean effect sizes of the relationships between SS and RSB subgroups, except for history of STD diagnosis. Race and age did not significantly moderate the overall relationship between SS and RSB; however, results indicated that SS and RSB relations were stronger in females compared to males. Our findings suggest that adolescents with elevations in SS tendencies tend to engage in more RSBs compared to their peers with lower levels of SS, increasing their risk of unplanned pregnancy and STD acquisition.

Risky sexual behavior is a workplace concern that particularly affects young adults in the working-age grou Among factory employees, it poses challenges for both private and government sectors, hindering progress toward sustainable development. This study aimed to assess risky sexual behavior and its associated factors among employees in industrial parks in Northeast Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 participants using a systematic sampling technique. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.2 and exported to STATA version 16 for analysis. Model fitness was assessed using the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, with a p-value > 0.05 indicating a good fit. Variables with a p-value < 0.2 in the bivariate analysis were included in the multivariable logistic regression model, and associations with a p-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The prevalence of risky sexual behavior among industrial park employees was 24.4%(95% CI of 20.8–28.3). Prior residence (AOR = 3.53; 95% CI: 1.51–8.27), alcohol consumption (AOR = 3.41; 95% CI: 1.10–10.58), watching pornography (AOR = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.07–8.49), peer pressure (AOR = 5.83; 95% CI: 1.30–26.14), and being 21–24 years old (AOR = 4.93; 95% CI: 1.10–22.13) were significantly associated with risky sexual behavior. Nearly one-fourth of the participants engaged in risky sexual activity, indicating a high level of risky practices within industrial park settings. Therefore, there is an urgent need for targeted sexual and reproductive health interventions, including awareness programs, improved access to preventive services, and the promotion of safe sexual practices among industrial park employees.

Background Premarital sexual behavior among adolescents remains a sensitive public health concern in conservative societies, where cultural and religious norms strictly regulate sexuality. Despite these limitations, risky behaviors persist and are influenced by environmental, familial, and media factors. Objective This review aimed to identify and synthesize factors related to premarital sexual behavior among adolescents in conservative societies using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a guiding framework. Methods A scoping review was conducted according to The 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Relevant studies were identified in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and EBSCOhost, focusing on adolescents aged 10–24 years in conservative settings. The data were analyzed thematically based on the following TPB components: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Results Twenty-three studies met our inclusion criteria. The factors influencing premarital sex include religiosity, peer pressure, exposure to pornography, parental supervision, and substance use. Religiosity and family communication act as protective factors, whereas exposure to pornography and peer influence increases risk. Conclusion Premarital sexual behavior among adolescents in conservative societies is shaped by individual attitudes, social norms, and perceived control. Culturally sensitive sex education programs, digital literacy, and family involvement are recommended to promote safer behaviors.