Table 2 Characteristics of the sample and sexual risk behaviour in Sierra Leone and Liberia 2017 GSHS
Study characteristics | Variable | All N (%) | Sierra Leone N (%) | Liberia N (%) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age in years | 14 or less | 1365(26.7) | 973(35.6) | 392(16.1) |  < 0.001 |
15–16 | 1452(28.0) | 939(34.6) | 513(20.2) | ||
 ≥ 17 | 2624(45.3) | 868(29.8) | 1756(63.7) | ||
Sex | Male | 2640(51.7) | 1258(51.6) | 1382(51.8) | 0.960 |
Female | 2737(48.3) | 1484(48.4) | 1253(48.2) | ||
Sexual behaviour | |||||
 Ever had sex | Yes | 2181 (48.4) | 917(38.9) | 1264(61.9) |  < 0.001 |
 Early sexual debut (< 14 years) | Yes | 536(31.3) | 330(44.4) | 330(20.6) |  < 0.001 |
 Multiple sexual partners | Yes | 1044(19.3) | 360(13.0) | 684(27.8) |  < 0.001 |
 No condom use at last sex | Yes | 848(48.7) | 437(58.6) | 411(39.8) |  < 0.001 |
 No birth control use at last sex | Yes | 892(48.5) | 389(50.7) | 503(46.6) | 0. 424 |
 Multiple sexual risk behaviour | Yes | 1142(80.2) | 529(85.2) | 613(75.3) | 0.023 |
Substance use | |||||
 Current alcohol use | Yes | 1011(18.6) | 393(13.4) | 618(24.7) |  < 0.001 |
 Ever use cannabis | Yes | 358(6.6) | 165(5.2) | 193(8.4) | 0.032 |
 Ever use amphetamine use | Yes | 371(9.7) | 191(7.9) | 180(7.9) | 0.999 |
Psychological distress | |||||
 Have No close friends | Yes | 579(10.8) | 249(9.2) | 330(12.6) | 0.003 |
 Felt Lonely | yes | 933(16.9) | 566(19.4) | 367(13.9) | 0.014 |
 Anxiety | Yes | 1060(19.2) | 520(18.5) | 540(20.0) | 0.339 |
 Suicide ideation | Yes | 1076(19.7) | 394(14.2) | 682(26.3) |  < 0.001 |
 Suicide Attempts | Yes | 1402(25.7) | 541(19.1) | 861(33.7) |  < 0.001 |
Protective factors | |||||
 Missed class/school | Yes | 2121(40.5) | 992(35.0) | 1129(47.6) |  < 0.001 |
 Peer support | Yes | 1741(32.6) | 854(29.6) | 887(36.4) | 0.015 |
 Parental Support | Low | 2153(42.4) | 1116(39.6) | 1037(46.4) | 0.066 |
Medium | 1348(28.4) | 781(30.0) | 567(26.1) | ||
High | 1377(29.2) | 771(30.4) | 606(27.5) | ||