Objectives: A disproportionate number of urban African American youth are engaging in HIV sexual risk behaviors. Accumulating evidence suggests that among youth, factors such as family and community violence exposure, psychological distress, low school achievement and negative peer group associations are related to HIV sexual risk behaviors. However, to date, no research has examined the interrelationships among these variables with regards to Urban African American youth and their disproportionate rates of HIV infection. Guided by a developmental framework, this exploratory study investigates whether higher levels of psychological distress, lower school achievement, and increased negative peer group association mediates the relationship between family and community violence exposure and increased HIV sexual risk behaviors. [unreadable] [unreadable] Design: Using audio-computer assisted self-interviewing technology, data on socio-demographics, violence exposure, psychological distress, school achievement, peer associations, and sexual behaviors will be collected from 300 African American youth in the 9th and 10th grades, attending a high school on Chicago's Southside. Structural equation modeling (SEM) would examine the relationships among variables. [unreadable] [unreadable] Conclusions: The findings from this study hold promise for increasing our understanding of the interrelationship among key factors associated with risky sexual behaviors among urban African American youth. Such knowledge is critical to designing HIV prevention programs that are culture-specific, in order to curtail the increasing spread of infection. [unreadable] [unreadable]