The Relationships Between Alcohol Drinking and Risky Sexual Behavior Among Korean Adolescents: Focusing on Heterosexual Adolescents

Abstract

This study aims to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behavior among Korean adolescents. Data from the 16th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey were utilized. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the effects of alcohol use on the probability of sex without contraception. The study matched 547 drinkers with 547 non-drinkers based on propensity score matching. In this study, the higher the alcohol consumption among adolescents, the more likely they are to engage in sex without contraception. Also, female adolescents’ alcohol consumption was found to be positively associated with risky sexual behaviors. This study highlights that the relationship between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behavior varied by gender. This suggests that adolescents’ risky sexual behaviors are influenced not only by drinking-related factors but also by personal characteristics.