Semen says: assessing the accuracy of adolescents' self-reported sexual abstinence using a semen Y-chromosome biomarker

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Janet E. Rosenbaum, SUNY Downstate Medical Center; Jonathan M. Zenilman, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions; Eve Rose, Emory University; Gina M Wingood, Emory University; Ralph Joseph Diclemente, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2017-03-01
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2016-052605
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Sexually Transmitted Infections
• ISSN: 1368-4973
• Volume: 93
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 145
• End Page: 147
• Grant/Funding Information: The data collection was funded by R01 MH061210 from the Center for Mental Health Research on AIDS, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland (Drs DiClemente and Wingood).; This research was funded by the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY.
• Keywords: Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Infectious Diseases; BIOLOGICAL MARKERS; Science & Technology
• Research Categories: Psychology, Behavioral; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Objective Researchers often assess condom use only among participants who report recent sexual behaviour, excluding participants who report no recent vaginal sex or who did not answer questions about their sexual behaviour, but self-reported sexual behaviour may be inaccurate. This study uses a semen Y-chromosome biomarker to assess semen exposure among participants who reported sexual abstinence or did not report their sexual behaviour. Methods This prospective cohort study uses data from 715 sexually active African-American female adolescents in Atlanta, surveyed at baseline, 6months and 12months. Participants completed a 40min interview and were tested for semen Y-chromosome with PCR from a self-administered vaginal swab. We predicted Y-chromosome test results from self-reported sexual behaviour using within-subject panel regression. Results Among the participants who reported abstinence from vaginal sex in the past 14days, 9.4% tested positive for semen Y-chromosome. Among item non-respondents, 6.3% tested positive for semen Y-chromosome. Women who reported abstinence and engaged in item non-response regarding their sexual behaviour had respectively 62% and 78% lower odds of testing positive for Y-chromosome (OR 0.38 (0.21 to 0.67), OR 0.22 (0.12 to 0.40)), controlling for smoking, survey wave and non-coital sexual behaviours reported during abstinence. Conclusions Adolescents who report sexual abstinence under-report semen exposure. Research should validate self-reported sexual behaviour with biomarkers. Adolescents who engage in item non-response regarding vaginal sex test positive for semen Y-chromosome at similar rates, which supports the practice of grouping non-respondents with adolescents reporting abstinence in statistical analysis. Trial registration number NCT00633906.