Browsing by Author "Carels, Cassandra"

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    Factors impacting on the relationship between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviour among young adults in the Western Cape
    (University of the Western Cape, 2024) Carels, Cassandra; Savahl, Shazly
    Alcohol consumption (AC) among young adults is associated with a multitude of risk behaviours and consequences. This includes lowered inhibitions resulting in risky sexual behaviour and the transmission of HIV; substance use; violence; driving under the influence; alcohol-related traffic injuries; fatalities and suicide. The well-established relation between AC and risky sexual behaviour (RSB), is particularly important in the context of South Africa which has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. The overall aim of the study was to explore the nature and extent to which factors impact on the relation between AC and RSB among young adults in the Western Cape. Within this process, the study aimed to explore the factors that young adults perceive as contributing factors to alcohol use and risky sexual behaviour. The specific objectives of the study were: 1) To systematically review the literature on factors that impact the relation between AC and RSB (Sub-study One); 2) To qualitatively explore the factors that young adults identify and understand as contributing to AC and RSB (Sub-study Two); and 3) To investigate the relation between AC and RSB. The sub-study further aimed to examine whether alcohol use, gender, and employment status predicted RSB (Sub-study Three). The study employed a multi-methodological framework and comprised of three sub-studies: Sub-study One consisted of a systematic review of the literature on factors that impact the relation between AC and RSB. Seventy-one articles were included in the review.
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    Youths’ perceptions of the relation between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviour in the Western Cape, South Africa: a qualitative study
    (Springer, 2021) Carels, Cassandra; Florence, Maria; Adams, Sabirah; Sinclair, Deborah Louise
    The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that youth identify as contributing to alcohol consumption, and more specifcally its relation to risky sexual behaviour among youth. We employed an exploratory qualitative method using focus group discussions with 34 young people between the ages of 18-25-years-old in low socio-economic status communities in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Data were analyzed thematically utilizing Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step thematic analysis process. We identifed two thematic domains pertaining to alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviour, namely individual and social factors, each comprising three themes. The individual factors thematic domain comprises intrapersonal infuences, employment and educational attainment; while the social factors thematic domain includes interpersonal infuences, social infuences, and hope for the future. Youth living in low socio-economic status communities were thought to be at greater risk of alcohol misuse and subsequent risky behaviour, given the political and social history of marginalisation, systematic oppression, and social inequality. To address alcohol use and risky sexual behavior among youth, we recommend interventions with adolescents, parents or guardians, and the community. More specifcally, interventions aimed at adolescents should focus on the transition to young adulthood. Interventions with parents should focus on their role in modelling and potentially regulating alcohol consumption. Finally, community interventions should centre on drinking behaviors, levels of drinking, what constitutes harmful drinking, and how to identify when treatment and recovery support is likely to be required.