Urban Girls Revisited: Building Strengths

13. Condom Use Among Sexually Active Latina Girls in Alternative High Schools

13 Condom Use Among Sexually Active Latina Girls in Alternative High Schools Jill Denner and Karin Coyle I’ve only had two partners, and every time, the first couple times or whatever, I always use a condom because you want to protect yourself from STDs. Estella This study is guided by theoretical perspectives that situate sexual behavior within the context of personal, relational, and cultural factors. Theories that predict condom use in White and African American adolescents and adults focus primarily on individual-level factors and have not been tested specifically with sexually active Latina teens. We know a lot about what prevents girls from using condoms because most research has focused on the barriers to condom use. Studies suggest teens do not use condoms because they do not plan ahead or fear that others will think they are promiscuous if they carry them or know how to use them (Hillier, Harrison, & Warr, 1998; Tolman, 2002). However, many Latina girls like Estella do use condoms, and little is known about the factors that determine their use. This information is essential to strengthen interventions so they build on girls’ strengths and strategies to promote safer sex, and avoid unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. To understand healthy decision making among Latinas, we expand on Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behavior, a widely tested theory of sexual behavior. This theory suggests that intentions predict behavior, and that intentions are explained by attitudes toward the behavior, perceived 281 norms about the behavior, and a sense of behavioral control. In other words, this theory predicts that girls would have greater intentions to use condoms if they had a positive attitude toward condoms, thought their friends were using them, and had the self-efficacy (perceived ability) to use them. Although this theory has explained intentions that are linked to condom use in youth, it does not address the contexts that support or undermine girls’ strengths. In this chapter, we examine condom decision making among a subgroup of Latina girls, those who attend community day schools, a type of alternative school. Most students in these schools have been removed from mainstream schools and come from families and neighborhoods that are marginalized from their communities (Figueira-McDonough, 1998; Loutzenheiser, 2002). According to the National Center for Education Statistics , in 2000 there were more than 600,000 students nationwide enrolled in public alternative schools or programs for at-risk students (Kleiner, Porch, & Farris, 2002). Alternative high schools serve students who do not progress academically in mainstream high schools, often due to issues such as disciplinary problems or chronic absenteeism. Some have described these students as “invisible” to the rest of society (Books, 1998). Because there is little research that focuses on Latinas in alternative schools, the following literature review focuses more broadly on Latinas. Urban Latina Girls According to the 2000 census, Latinos are now the largest minority group living in the United States (Guzmán, 2001). Two thirds of Latinos in the United States are of Mexican origin (Therrien & Ramirez, 2001); however, Latina girls are a heterogeneous group with a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and different histories in the United States. For example, some are from families that have lived in the Southwest since it was part of Mexico. Other families immigrated in order to find better economic and educational opportunities for their children (Suárez-Orozco & SuárezOrozco , 2001). Although many were looking for better opportunities, some families were fleeing violence and corruption in their countries, and others came for professional promotions. Many urban families lived in a city in their home country, but there are also many who came from rural communities. Their children’s experience in the United States depends on what researchers have called the social “capital” that parents and extended 282 c h a p t e r 1 3 families bring from their country of origin (Portes & Rumbaut, 2001; Stanton-Salazar, 2001). Despite their growing numbers, there is still little research that focuses on the experiences of Latina girls, and even less that uses a strengths-based perspective (Denner & Guzmán, in press). Latina Girls’ Sexual Behavior: Risk and Protective Factors Students in alternative schools are more likely to be sexually active than those in mainstream schools. Data from 9th to 12th grade students in a nationally representative sample from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey show that among Latinas, 46% were sexually active, 52% used a condom at last intercourse, and...