Correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents: the critical role of bullying victimizations

Abstract Background Adolescents face numerous challenges that influence their sexual behaviors. Among these, bullying victimization is a critical yet understudied factor that may impact engagement in unprotected sex. This study investigated the correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adoles...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Omid Dadras
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-01-01
Series:BMC Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06423-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841559113937453056
author Omid Dadras
author_facet Omid Dadras
author_sort Omid Dadras
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Adolescents face numerous challenges that influence their sexual behaviors. Among these, bullying victimization is a critical yet understudied factor that may impact engagement in unprotected sex. This study investigated the correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents, with a main focus on bullying victimization. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in 2021 among a nationally representative sample of students in grades 7–12 in Thailand. The analysis included all the sexually active students with condom use in the last sex as the main outcome variable. Bivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the odds of using condom across various explanatory variables. Additional adjusted logistic regression models were constructed to examine the association between bullying experiences and condom use while controlling for the potential confounding effect of other explanatory variables. Results Among sexually active participants, 416 (69%) reported using condoms in their last sex and more than half of them reported bullying experiences. Besides bullying, this study identifies several factors such as older age (< 14) and higher grades that were associated with lower use of condoms. Additionally, other psychosocial factors such as suicidal ideation and attempts as well as physical violence, and lack of close friends decrease the odds of condom use. Substance use, particularly marijuana and amphetamine/methamphetamine, was also associated with lower condom use. Although all types of bullying experiences were associated with lower condom use in bivariate analyses, the association remained significant only for bullying at school in the adjusted model (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.18–0.86). Conclusion The findings emphasize a holistic approach to addressing bullying, particularly within schools, and promoting protected sexual behaviors among school-going adolescents through early anti-bullying interventions and incorporating tailored sex education into school curricula, and at Thai schools.
format Article
id doaj-art-08e3e8d28bd947d28f348c05750f9bf2
institution Kabale University
issn 1471-244X
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Psychiatry
spelling doaj-art-08e3e8d28bd947d28f348c05750f9bf22025-01-05T12:42:39ZengBMCBMC Psychiatry1471-244X2025-01-012511810.1186/s12888-024-06423-6Correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents: the critical role of bullying victimizationsOmid Dadras0Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of BergenAbstract Background Adolescents face numerous challenges that influence their sexual behaviors. Among these, bullying victimization is a critical yet understudied factor that may impact engagement in unprotected sex. This study investigated the correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents, with a main focus on bullying victimization. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in 2021 among a nationally representative sample of students in grades 7–12 in Thailand. The analysis included all the sexually active students with condom use in the last sex as the main outcome variable. Bivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the odds of using condom across various explanatory variables. Additional adjusted logistic regression models were constructed to examine the association between bullying experiences and condom use while controlling for the potential confounding effect of other explanatory variables. Results Among sexually active participants, 416 (69%) reported using condoms in their last sex and more than half of them reported bullying experiences. Besides bullying, this study identifies several factors such as older age (< 14) and higher grades that were associated with lower use of condoms. Additionally, other psychosocial factors such as suicidal ideation and attempts as well as physical violence, and lack of close friends decrease the odds of condom use. Substance use, particularly marijuana and amphetamine/methamphetamine, was also associated with lower condom use. Although all types of bullying experiences were associated with lower condom use in bivariate analyses, the association remained significant only for bullying at school in the adjusted model (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.18–0.86). Conclusion The findings emphasize a holistic approach to addressing bullying, particularly within schools, and promoting protected sexual behaviors among school-going adolescents through early anti-bullying interventions and incorporating tailored sex education into school curricula, and at Thai schools.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06423-6BullyingCondom useThailandAdolescentsCorrelates
spellingShingle Omid Dadras
Correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents: the critical role of bullying victimizations
BMC Psychiatry
Bullying
Condom use
Thailand
Adolescents
Correlates
title Correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents: the critical role of bullying victimizations
title_full Correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents: the critical role of bullying victimizations
title_fullStr Correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents: the critical role of bullying victimizations
title_full_unstemmed Correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents: the critical role of bullying victimizations
title_short Correlates of condom use among school-going Thai adolescents: the critical role of bullying victimizations
title_sort correlates of condom use among school going thai adolescents the critical role of bullying victimizations
topic Bullying
Condom use
Thailand
Adolescents
Correlates
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06423-6
work_keys_str_mv AT omiddadras correlatesofcondomuseamongschoolgoingthaiadolescentsthecriticalroleofbullyingvictimizations