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HPV vaccination may lead to perceived need for safer sexual behaviors
After receiving HPV vaccine, adolescent girls demonstrated a greater perceived need for safer sexual behaviors and an increased perception of the risk for sexually transmitted infections excluding HPV, according to recent research in Vaccine.
“Concerns have been raised by parents and clinicians that some girls who received the HPV vaccine may incorrectly perceive themselves to be at less risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) other than HPV and thus may engage in riskier sexual behaviors,” Tanya L. Kowalczyk Mullins, MD, MS, of the division of adolescent and transition medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and colleagues wrote. “Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine the associations between HPV vaccine-related risk perceptions and subsequent sexual behaviors and STI diagnosis … following the first HPV vaccine dose.”
The researchers studied a cohort of 112 sexually active adolescents and young women aged 13 to 21 years who received the HPV vaccination. After the initial dose, study participants completed at least two of four follow-up visits at 2, 6, 8, 18 and 30 months. Surveys were conducted to gather information on perceived risk perception and sexual behaviors. Participants also were tested for STIs at 6, 18 and 30 months.
Kowalczyk Mullins and colleagues wrote that most participants perceived a need for safer sexual behaviors after vaccination. They also found an association between greater perceived need for safer sexual behaviors after vaccination and condom use (P = .002). In addition, scaled scores for perceived risk for contracting an STI other than HPV significantly decreased after vaccination (P = .027). The researchers said this change over time indicated the vaccination had an effect on how participants perceived their risk for infection with other STIs for the 30 months after vaccination. Scaled scores for perceived need for safer sexual behaviors did not change over time, according to study data
Study results also showed that greater condom use was associated with mothers who reported communication with study participants about HPV vaccine.
“Because risk perceptions may influence behavior, it is critical to understand HPV vaccine-related risk perceptions and whether these perceptions impact behavior among adolescent girls who have been vaccinated against HPV,” Kowalczyk Mullins and colleagues wrote. “The finding that greater perceived need for safer sexual behaviors among girls and mothers’ communication with daughters about HPV vaccination were associated with condom use implies that clinicians and parents should educate girls about the continued need for safer sexual behaviors after HPV vaccination.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: Kowalczyk Mullins reports no relevant financial disclosures.
