Correlates of drug use in rural Africa: drug/substance use and sexual behaviour in Mankweng District, South Africa

Abstract

The results of a study on drug/substance use and sexual behaviours are reported for 1 573 teenagers from a rural district of South Africa (males = 834; females = 692; mean age = 16.27 years and SD = 2.77 years). The teenagers reported on their drug/substance use, use of condoms, experience with anal sex and number of sexual partners. The analyses considered the prevalence of drug/substance use, condom use and anal sex within sexually-active cohorts and the prevalence of drug/substance use in a sexually-inactive cohort. Drug/substance use and non-use of condoms were more prevalent among the sexually-active than the sexually-inactive. Within the sexually-active cohort, those with multiple sexual partners were more likely to use drugs/substances or not to use condoms. Anal sex occurred in both males and females to a greater extent than could be attributed to chance.

Keywords: prevalence, health-risk, partners, teenagers

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2005, 15(1): 11–15