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Abstract:
The Fort Peck Sexual Health Project: A Contextual Analysis of Native American Men is a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project that explores the extent to which knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about sex, intimate relationships, and mental health influence sexual and reproductive health. For the purpose of this study, the influence of age, fatherhood, and mental health factors related to historical trauma and loss on young American Indian (AI) men's intention to use birth control was examined. In-depth interviews were conducted with 112 Native American men between the ages of 18 and 24 years. The mean age reported was 21 years. Thirty-eight percent of the young men reported having children. The young men reported experiences of historical trauma during their lifetime as well as emotional responses due to historical losses. Ninety-five percent reported that it was very important that they use some form of birth control to prevent their partner from getting pregnant within the next year. Logistic regression analysis indicated that, as age increased, young men were less likely to use birth control to prevent pregnancy. The young men who reported feelings of loss due to experiences related to historical trauma and loss were more likely to use birth control. Findings from this study suggest that public health efforts to educate AI men about planned pregnancies and the use of birth control may be most effective in adolescence. Public health programs that address mental health concerns such as the emotional responses due to historical losses may assist young AI men in their decision to use birth control.
INTRODUCTION
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Young American Indian (AI) Men
By age 20, 9 out of 10 males have had sexual intercourse (Alan Guttmacher Institue [AGI], 2002). Sexually experienced young males are at increased risk of having multiple sex partners as they progress into adulthood, which increases their chances of contracting a sexually transmitted infection or having an unintended pregnancy with a sex partner (AGI, 2002). While most young males report using a condom the first time they have sexual intercourse, condom errors are common, posing risks for unintended pregnancy; also, as young males become more sexually experienced, condom usage declines, causing them to be more reliant on female contraceptive methods which provide no...