Sexual Health and Black College Students

This book explores the various psychosocial, sociocultural, and contextual factors that affect the sexual health of Black students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and how this environment can help develop strategies to improve sexual health outcomes for its students. The college environment provides young people with a new sense of independence, self-determination, and peer pressure to engage in risky sexual behaviors, and research has shown that Black students at HBCUs bear a disproportionate burden of poorer sexual health outcomes than students at predominately white institutions (PWIs). Uniquely focusing on the sexual milieu of Black students, Hall-Byers explains why a better understanding of these settings is needed to guide successful interventions that benefit and support the sexual health of Black students. Chapters compare data and research on sexual health outcomes of young Black men and women in comparison to those at predominately white institutions, as well as looking at the role of HBCU campus contexts and cultures, the potential psychosocial and sociocultural influences, what culturally responsive approaches may look like, and recommendations on how HBCU campuses can increase positive sexual health, such as through access, collaborative efforts among administrative offices, and reallocating resources. Sexual Health and Black College Students aims to advance the translation of culturally grounded research into effective practice and is essential reading for researchers and practitioners in sex therapy, public health, and social science as well as for college health staff, including nurses, student affairs, and campus wellness centers.

Dr. Naomi M. Hall-Byers is a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). She is the Director of the Race, Culture, and Context (RC2) lab and her overarching program of research focuses on psychological, social, cultural, and contextual factors associated with health disparities and inequities among youth and emerging adults (YEAs) of African descent.

1. Introduction, 2. HBCUs and Sexual Health: The Importance of Culture and Context, 3. The State of Black College Students' Sexual Health, 4. The Importance of Identity in Sexual Health, 5. Psychosocial Influences on Sexual Health, 6. Sociocultural Influences on Sexual Health, 7. Violence and Sexual Health: A Culture of Silence?, 8. Culturally Responsive Approaches to Sexual Health, 9. Sexual Health Promotion on HBCU Campuses