Young females aged 16−25 years are at high risk of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) predominantly contracted through unsafe sexual practices. There is also evidence from previous studies to show an association between psychological distress and risky sexual behaviours. We aimed to investigate the association between psychological distress and risky sexual behaviors in young females aged 16-25 living in Victoria, Australia.
Data were extracted from a cross sectional study called the Young Female Health Initiative (YFHI). Participants were recruited via advertisements on Facebook from 2012. Risky sexual behaviors (outcomes) were measured through five binary variables: sex while drunk or high, sex with a non-current partner, having more than one male partner in a lifetime, paid sex, and non-current use of condom. Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Logistic regression models were used to estimate unadjusted odd ratios (ORs) and adjusted ORs.
We detected a significant association between Kessler score and sex while drunk or high (OR 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2, 2.7, p= 0.006). After adjusting for covariates, the estimated relative change in the odds of having sex while drunk or high increased minimally to 1.8 (95% CI 1.1, 3.0, p= 0.02) for a change in Kessler score of 7 units.
Our findings suggest that young females engaging in risky sexual behaviours should be screened for psychological distress. Further studies should be conducted to assess the temporal association between psychological distress and risky sexual behaviours.