Unprotected Sex and Its Association with Other Risky Behaviours Among European Students: A Multinational Study
Marco Scalese, Benedetta Ferrante, Sonia Cerrai, Sabrina Molinaro

TL;DR
This study finds that European students who use drugs or alcohol are more likely to engage in unprotected sex, with notable differences across countries.
Contribution
The study provides new insights into the link between substance use and risky sexual behavior among European adolescents.
Findings
9.8% of 16-year-old students in Europe reported unprotected sex in the past year.
Illicit drug users and heavy drinkers had significantly higher odds of engaging in unprotected sex.
Country-specific prevalence varied widely, with no clear geographical pattern observed.
Abstract
Background: Adolescents face unique challenges as they transition from childhood to adulthood, which can be marked by risky behaviours such as substance use and sexual activities. The present study analyses the relationship between risky sexual behaviour and the use of psychoactive substances, namely alcohol, cannabis, and other illegal substances, among students aged 15–16 years in 23 European countries, to investigate potential between-country differences. Method: Data were extracted from the 2019 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) cross-sectional survey. Risky sexual behaviour was defined as self-reported unprotected sex. Substance use, other individual risk behaviours, and parenting indicators were investigated as key predictors. Results: A 9.8% of 16-year-old students in Europe reported sexual intercourse without a condom in the past year, and 7.8%…
Genes, proteins, chemicals, diseases, species, mutations and cell lines named across the full text — each resolved to its canonical identifier and authoritative record.
Click any figure to enlarge with its caption.
Figure 1Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsAdolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
