Exposure to X-Rated Movies and Adolescents' Sexual and Contraceptive-Related Attitudes and Behaviors

TLDR

To examine the association between exposure to X‑rated movies and teens' contraceptive attitudes and behaviors. Black females aged 14–18 (n = 522) were recruited from adolescent medicine clinics, health departments, and school health clinics. Exposure to X‑rated movies was linked to more negative condom attitudes (OR 1.4), increased likelihood of multiple partners (OR 2.0), higher sexual frequency (OR 1.8), reduced contraception use (OR 1.5–2.2), stronger desire to conceive (OR 2.3), and higher chlamydia positivity (OR 1.7).

Abstract

Objectives. To examine the association between exposure to X-rated movies and teens' contraceptive attitudes and behaviors. Methods. Black females, 14 to 18 years old (n = 522) were recruited from adolescent medicine clinics, health departments, and school health clinics. Results. Exposure to X-rated movies was reported by 29.7% of adolescents. Exposure to X-rated movies was associated with being more likely to have negative attitudes toward using condoms (odds ratio [OR]: 1.4), to have multiple sex partners (OR: 2.0), to have sex more frequently (OR: 1.8), to not have not used contraception during the last intercourse (OR: 1.5), to have not used contraception in the past 6 months (OR: 2.2), to have a strong desire to conceive (OR: 2.3), and to test positive for chlamydia (OR: 1.7). Conclusions. Additional research is needed to understand the impact of X-rated movies on adolescents' sexual and contraceptive health.