Increasing rates of HIV among urban adolescents have raised concerns about their participation in risk behaviors. Past research indicates that adolescent sexual behavior may best be understood by examining the broader social context within which sexuality develops and, more specifically, by examining adolescents' perceptions of their own and other's sexual behavior and relationships. This research career development plan allows integration of both qualitative and quantitative methods in a comprehensive study of adolescent sexual risk behavior supporting a long-term career objective of establishing a program of social cognitive research as an independent researcher. Training will be acquired in adolescent assessment methods, establishing community collaborative relationships, and design and conduct of HIV interventions. Training would take place at a resource-rich environment which encourages innovative and collaborative research. The primary research objectives is to examine the urban adolescent girls' social networks and associated sociosexual cognitions to determine the extent to which it is possible to predict sexual risk behavior. Girls will be the focus of the current project because of the heightened risk they represent both in terms of STD infection, HIV-infection specifically, and of adolescent pregnancy. The first phase will involve qualitative research using community advisory board meetings, focus groups and individual elicitation interviews followed by formative studies to develop and refine measures to be employed in the ensuing determinant study. The second phase will be a 12-month longitudinal determinant study of 180 girls (ages 12-14 years). The determinant study will permit testing of a model of adolescent sexual development which incorporates early adolescent girls' social cognitions and social networks in community samples. Intervention materials for a pilot intervention study will be developed based on the findings of the qualitative/formative research and the determinant study. The pilot intervention study will assess the feasibility of implementing the intervention in the community agency settings, examine trends in the data, and explore the intervention activities most effective for promoting safer sexual choices amongst early adolescent girls.
