Depressed Teens More Likely to Engage in Risky Sexual Behavior

Teens who have higher levels of depression than other teens are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, a University of California, San Francisco, study indicates. The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics. The study's researchers speculate that depression may place teens at risk for risky sexual behavior due to a need to “seek or be successfully pressured into sexual activity, in the name of some kind of shared intimacy, or to maintain relationships that they value.” (Reuters (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-07-10T172905Z_01_COL062909_RTRUKOC_0_US-TEEN-SEX.xml), 7/10/06)