Substance Misuse Pattern and Sexual Risk Behavior among Street Adolescents in Central Java, Indonesia

TL;DR

This study explores how substance use and exposure to pornography are linked to risky sexual behavior among street adolescents in Central Java, Indonesia.

Contribution

The study identifies alcohol use and frequent exposure to pornography as significant predictors of sexual risk behavior in street adolescents.

Findings

Over 25% of street adolescents engaged in high-risk sexual behavior.

Alcohol use had adjusted odds ratios of 3.26 to 4.38 for sexual risk behavior.

Frequent exposure to pornography was strongly associated with risky sexual behavior.

Abstract

Substance use is common among street adolescents and is strongly associated with sexual risk behavior as well as vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore patterns of substance use and the association with sexual risk behavior among street adolescents in Central Java, Indonesia.

A cross-sectional study.

In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 248 street adolescents through face-to-face interviews using a validated questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression in SPSS version 25.0.

More than a quarter of adolescents reported engaging in high-risk sexual behavior. Heavy smoking, alcohol use, and frequent exposure to pornography were prevalent. Alcohol use was significantly associated with sexual risk behavior, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 3.26 to 4.38 across Models I–III. Furthermore, frequent exposure to pornography showed a strong association, with odds ratios of 3.02 (Model I) and 4.20 (Model II). These associations remained significant after adjusting for demographic and behavioral variables.

Substance use, particularly alcohol consumption, and frequent exposure to pornography were significantly associated with sexual risk behavior among street adolescents. Therefore, interventions should be developed to address the specific needs of this population. Adolescents engaged in high-risk behavior, such as substance use and sexual risk behavior, required high attention and specific treatment options.

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