Associations between Youth Assets and Sexual Activity: Does Adult Supervision play a Role? - Article Review

Running Head: PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT – ARTICLE REVIEW
Psychology Assignment – Article Review
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT – ARTICLE REVIEW
Harris, L., Oman, R. F., Vesely, S. K., Tolma, E. L., Aspy, C. B., Rodine, S. & Fluhr, J.
(2007). Associations between youth assets and sexual activity: does adult supervision
play a role?. Child: care, health and development, 33(4), 448-454.
The first article that I have attempted to review is, “Associations between Youth
Assets and Sexual Activity: Does Adult Supervision play a Role?” Youth preoccupation with
risky sexual behavior constitutes a critical topic for researchers on public health. More and
more young people are being left to their own devices for long hours in a day, without any
kind of adult monitoring or supervision. This in turn is increasing opportunities for them for
undertaking risky sexual activities. It is important to analyze the importance and scope of
adult supervision in such instances, to prevent the onset of unavoidable and undesirable
problems like early pregnancy.
Background
The prevalence among teenagers to engage in risky sexual behavior is something that
as intrigued public health researchers for quite some time now. Recent data reveals that quite
a large number of youth these days take part in risky sexual activities and on a regular basis.
Approximately forty seven percent of children studying in grades nine to twelve were seen to
participate in risky sexual undertakings in 2003. This research article examines the
relationship between sexual activity and nine youth assets and tries to find out how this
relationship can vary by stratifying youth into two major groups, namely, supervised and self-
care.

2PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT – ARTICLE REVIEW
Research Design and Methods
To conduct this study, the researchers collected data from as many as 1350
households. A random sample of people was selected for the study. Every household
comprised of one teen child and parent pair, was situated in the inner part of two very well
known cities in the American Mid-West, having a population of approximately 500,000
people. One parent as well as one child from each and every household was selected to
participate in the interview process. Thereafter these interviews were carried out in the home
of each participant using a computerized system for data collection. The interviews for both
parent and youth were conducted simultaneously but in different parts of the house.
Results
Of the youth belonging to the self care group and who remained unsupervised at home
for at least two hours in the day or longer, 61% reported that they had never taken part in
sexual behavior This figure was significantly lower compared to the 72% of the supervised
group who reported as not to have taken part in any kind of sexual activity. With increasing
age, the percentage of youth who had never partaken in sexual activity decreased
substantially for both the supervised strata and the self governed strata. In the case of those
belonging to the strata of self care, the proportion of those who reported not to have taken
part in sexual activity is what increased quite a bit with an increase in household income. In
the case of youth who were supervised however, an important difference was detected
between the experience of never having sex and the parents’ level of education. Young
people who had parents having at least a college degree or diploma or a school degree or
diploma reported to have never had sex while those whose parents were poorly educated
reported to be taking part in sexual activity quite frequently. The proportion that reported