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Virology Research Journal | Volume 2
May 18-19, 2018 | Montreal, Canada
2nd World Conference on
STDs, STIs & HIV/AIDS
Justice-involved youth display higher prevalence rates of
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), in comparison to the
general public, highlighting a critical public health concern.
Individual factors are important predictors of STDs, but only
provide a partial understanding of this public health issue.
According to social disorganization theory communities
experiencing higher levels of disorder and lower levels
of cohesion tend to have fewer institutional resources
available, which may impact sexual risk behavior and
STDs. However, few studies have examined the association
between community characteristics and STD prevalence
among justice involved adolescents. Informed by social
disorganization theory, the current study explores individual-
level attributes and community-level characteristics in
explaining STDs among justice-involved youth. Results
indicate a number of individual and community level factors,
reflecting community disadvantage, significantly relate
to delinquent youths’ STD status, with effects varying by
gender. Findings suggest a gendered perspective is important
for understanding individual-level characteristics affecting
STD infection. Support is also found for a growing body of
literature suggesting community factors affect adolescent
sexual behavior. The justice system represents a critical
opportunity in the treatment and prevention of STDs for
youth.
Speaker Biography
Richard Dembo is a Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida in
Tampa. He received his PhD in Sociology from New York University. He has conducted
extensive research on the relationship between drug use and delinquency; he has
published three books and over 180 articles, book chapters and reports in the fields
of criminology, substance use, mental health, and program evaluation; and has guest
edited five special issues of journals addressing the problem of drug misuse. He is a
member of the editorial boards of The International Journal of the Addictions (renamed
Substance Use and Misuse), Violence, Aggression and Terrorism, The Journal of Drug
Issues, The Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, The Journal of Offender
Rehabilitation, and Neurobehavioral HIV Medicine. He has served as a Consultant
to the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental
Health, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Office of Substance Abuse
Prevention and the National Science Foundation. He is a Reviewer of manuscripts for
numerous professional journals.
e:
Richard Dembo
University of South Florida, USA
Individual and community level factors in the STD status of justice involved youth:
Multi-group exploratory two-level analysis