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As a young clinical social worker, Danielle Parrish, an assistant professor at the University of Houston (UH) Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW), frequently noticed that at least a third of the girls were visibly pregnant on the girl's unit in a juvenile detention center.
"As a mental health clinician in the juvenile justice system, I noticed there were stark differences in terms of what the females needed in their program and what the males needed. They are dealing with very different kinds of risks," said Parrish. "I would find the females were engaging in multiple risk behaviors simultaneously - using drugs, drinking, smoking - even while pregnant - and seemed to participate more frequently in high-risk sex behaviors that put them at risk of pregnancy and STDs, including HIV. When I looked to the research, I found very limited information on gender-specific interventions for adolescent females in the juvenile justice system that addressed these unique risks."
Parrish plans to research this understudied population as principle investigator for a $100,000 grant funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), titled, "Choices – Teen: A Bundled Risk Reduction Intervention for Juvenile Justice Females." The pilot study includes 30 at-risk girls, ages 14-17, on intensive probation with the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. The goal of the pilot study is to assess the feasibility and promise of a prevention intervention in reducing risk behaviors that lead to HIV, alcohol-exposed pregnancy and nicotine-exposed pregnancy with this high-risk female population. This intervention, unlike others that typically focus on one risk behavior at a time, takes a bundled approach to risk reduction and addresses multiple risks simultaneously. If effective, this approach would be more cost-efficient than multiple interventions targeting these risks, and make better use of the limited time these girls present for services. The intervention includes two counseling sessions with a prevention counselor trained in motivational interviewing (MI), an appointment with a pediatrician and a referral for an evidence-based smoking cessation intervention.
"Dr. Parrish's research and grant award emphasize both the need for and importance of innovative approaches to problem-solving, especially when working with high-risk youth, in particular young women in the juvenile justice system," said Ira Colby, dean of the UH GCSW. "This award aligns with the UH Graduate College of Social Work's mission and specifically connects advanced social work practice and research with the broader social services community."
Parrish notes one of the big issues for this population of adolescent girls is condom negotiation. They may have a boyfriend who says it isn't "cool" to use a condom. To prepare the girls for these types of situations, the counselors and pediatricians will teach them how to negotiate condom use with their partner. The intervention also helps empower and motivate girls to make healthier choices regarding their alcohol use, smoking and prevention of unplanned pregnancy.
The intervention is based on CHOICES, a prevention intervention, developed by Mary Velasquez, an associate dean of research and director at the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) at the University of Texas at Austin. It focuses on initial behavior change as well as the maintenance of behavior over time. By using motivational interviewing techniques focused on changing specific behaviors, this intervention helps women choose safer, healthier strategies best suited to their circumstances. Velasquez's research (and that of her colleagues) was recognized by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) with the Charles C. Shepard Science Award.
"Dr. Parrish's study extends an award-winning behavior intervention for reducing alcohol-exposed pregnancies to the juvenile justice population," said Velasquez. "Its emphasis on HIV prevention is innovative and critically important for these young women."
The results of the study may be useful to guide further research in the development of gender-specific prevention interventions with adolescent girls in the juvenile justice system. This pilot study will help lay the groundwork for a much larger study and future studies to better understand this population in terms of their unique risks and how they can best be supported on an individual level, as well as what can be done at the community and policy levels to address the lack of services and supports for this vulnerable and largely invisible population.
"A lot of these young women are dealing with issues of human trafficking, abuse, health issues, not having a stable place to live- there are a lot of issues we also need to address on a community and policy level," said Parrish. "If we can learn more about them, and what those issues are, then maybe we can address things on a broader level as well."
Right... because "abstinence education" has proven to be sooooo effective (look up stats on teen pregnancies in the Bible Belt), and not teaching them how to use condoms will keep them from having sex. '
You were a teenager once, right? I was too, and believe me - not being given instructions on condom usage wouldn't have stopped me, it would only have increased the likelihood of my getting pregnant or an STD. Teenagers' hormones are stronger then their willpower, and that is a fact. When will the social conservatives finally get this? Aren't the statistics showing a DROP in teen pregnancies since introducing comprehensive sex education enough, or do you need your own daughter (or son) to get pregnant/impregnate before it'll sink in fully? I swear, the inane thought process behind this whole issue is mind-boggling.
Btw, most comprehensive sex ed classes are just that, comprehensive. Meaning, they DO teach the value of abstinence, along with the education on how to protect yourself if/when you decide to have sex. Isn't it better to teach all sides of that issue, instead of just saying "don't do it" and hoping they listen? Listening and following rules really aren't a typical teenager's strong points, LOL. (as I know, having worked in teen services for many years - and being a rather hardheaded teen myself at one time)
I guess in todays world, to still think we should encourage and teach teens to NOT have sex, you're considered old fashioned and an idiot. I guess that is what I am to some of you.
Even so, to spend money on condom negotiations rather than telling them "hey, maybe you should just NOT HAVE SEX yet", is disturbing and just a sign of the times. More government waste. To have to teach a female to say no to sex without a condom, using tax payer dollars....... Unreal.
Seriously, focusing on condom negotiations instead of not having sex. They are teenagers. They should be encouraged to not have sex. Hollywood sure as hell doesnt help either. They practically urge them to do it.
Taking money out of the tax payers pocket promoting and encouraging " recreational sex" is not only ridiculous but theft from the workers wage.
Recreational sex is not a necessity and has nothing whatsoever to do with being ready and willing for work in order to qualify for a hand out from those who are working.
Being forced to pay for other peoples recreational sex "set up... is theft gone crazy
why not get a special tax going where the workers gotta pay, for the non-workers hotel room for recreational sex ?...whats the difference ?
Taking money out of the tax payers pocket promoting and encouraging " recreational sex" is not only ridiculous but theft from the workers wage.
Recreational sex is not a necessity and has nothing whatsoever to do with being ready and willing for work in order to qualify for a hand out from those who are working.
Being forced to pay for other peoples recreational sex "set up... is theft gone crazy
why not get a special tax going where the workers gotta pay, for the non-workers hotel room for recreational sex ?...whats the difference ?
What does any of this have to do with the study? And if recreational sex isn't a necessity, why do most if not all humans (both old & young, married & single alike) do it at some point? Heck, according to my 95yo grandmother, even she & my then 80-something grandfather did it until the day he died... and considering her age at the time, I guarantee they weren't trying or capable of making babies.
Stop trying to fight nature, and try fighting the potentially negative effects of this very natural behavior instead.
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