PARENTS, PEERS, AND RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIORS IN RURAL  
 
AFRICAN AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS 
 
 
 
 
Except where reference is made to the work of others, the work described in this thesis is 
my own or was done in collaboration with my advisory committee. This thesis does not 
include proprietary or classified information. 
 
 
 
 
 
__________________________ 
Maureen Ann Young 
 
 
 
 
Certificate of approval: 
 
 
 
 
________________________                                
Margaret K. Keiley 
Associate Professor 
Human Development and 
Family Studies 
 
 
 
________________________ 
Thomas A. Smith 
Associate Professor 
Human Development and 
Family Studies 
 
 
 
 
 
 
________________________ 
Alexander T. Vazsonyi, Chair 
Professor 
Human Development and 
Family Studies 
 
 
 
________________________ 
George T. Flowers 
Interim Dean 
Graduate School 
 
 
 
PARENTS, PEERS, AND RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIORS IN RURAL AFRICAN 
AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS 
Maureen Ann Young 
 
A Thesis 
 
Submitted to 
 
the Graduate Faculty of 
 
Auburn University 
 
in Partial Fulfillment of the 
 
Requirements for the 
 
Degree of 
Master of Science 
 
 
Auburn, Alabama 
August 9, 2008 
iii 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PARENTS, PEERS, AND RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIORS IN RURAL AFRICAN  
 
AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS 
 
Maureen Ann Young 
 
 
Permission is granted to Auburn University to make copies of this thesis at its discretion, 
upon request of individuals or institutions and at their expense. The author reserves all 
publication rights. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
______________________________ 
                                                          Signature of Author 
 
 
 
______________________________ 
                                                          Date of Graduation 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
iv 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THESIS ABSTRACT 
PARENTS, PEERS, AND RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIORS IN RURAL AFRICAN  
 
AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS 
 
 
Maureen Ann Young 
 
Master of Science, August 9, 2008 
(B.S., University of New Orleans, 2004) 
 
98 Typed Pages 
 
Directed by Alexander T. Vazsonyi 
 
 
 The current study examined the relationships among parenting factors (closeness, 
communication, support, and monitoring), peer deviance, and adolescent risky sexual 
behavior in a sample of rural African American youth (N = 689). More specifically, the 
goal of the current investigation was to discover whether the effects by parenting factors 
and peer deviance on adolescent risky sexual behavior were unique, additive, or 
redundant. Analyses were conducted separately by sex; correlations reveled that 
closeness was negatively associated with risky sexual behavior for female adolescents, 
while both monitoring and peer deviance were associated with risky sexual activity for 
both males and females. Regression analyses provided evidence that parenting constructs 
had no effect on risky sexual behavior. However, peer deviance was a significant 
predictor and explained approximately 8% of the variance for both male and female 
v 
participants. Thus, findings indicate that peer deviance, but not parenting factors, was a 
salient predictor of risky sexual behaviors in this rural African American sample. Due to 
the high percentage of the sample that reported engaging in risky sexual behaviors, and 
because of the serious consequences which may result from such activities, it is suggested 
that further work focus on etiological factors for risky sexual behavior in this extremely 
understudied population. Such findings may be useful in designing both prevention and 
intervention efforts aimed at reducing rates of adolescent risky sexual behaviors. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



ix 
 
 
LIST OF TABLES 
Table 1: Descriptive Statistics for Individual Sexual Behavior Items????..???.84 
Table 2: Descriptive Statistics for the Composite Risky Sex Variable????...???85 
 
Table 3: Descriptive Statistics for Demographic Variables?...??????????86 
 
Table 4: Reliability Estimate for Parenting Scales and Peer Deviance Scale?..???..87 
 
Table 5: Correlations between Main Study Constructs and Background Variables for  
 
  Total Sample???????????????...????????????88 
 
Table 6: Correlations between Main Study Constructs and Background Variables for  
 
   Male and Female Participants???????????????????.89 
 
Table 7: Regression Analyses for Main Study Constructs by Sex?????????90