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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Heather Cecil, PhD, Psychology, Penn State University, Capital College, 777 W. Harrisburg Pike, W157 Olmsted, Middletown, PA 17057-4898, 717-948-6533, hkc3@psu.edu and Steven D. Pinkerton, PhD, Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2071 N Summit Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Hispanics are disproportionately represented in the number of HIV/AIDS cases in the U.S. For Hispanic women, heterosexual contact is the predominant mode of HIV transmission, while for Hispanic men, male-male sex and/or injection drug use account for the largest proportion of AIDS cases. Besides abstinence, correct and consistent condom use remains the best protection against HIV/AIDS. However, Hispanic women may have particular difficulty negotiating male condom use with their sex partners because of cultural scripts that dictate condom use decisions are the males’ prerogative. The female condom, a female-controlled barrier method, may offer an additional option. Self-efficacy, which refers to one’s confidence in one’s ability to enact a particular behavior, is related to male condom use. Herein, we examined self-efficacy for three protective sexual behaviors: questioning potential partners, refusing intercourse, and using female condoms. Participants, 78 women and 84 men (18-35 years) recruited from two community-based organizations serving Mexican-Americans, completed a self-report sexual behavior survey. Respondents reported high levels of self-efficacy to question partners, but only moderate levels for refusal of intercourse and use of the female condom (no gender differences). Self-efficacy for protective sexual behaviors predicted intentions to use the female condom at next coitus with a main sex partner and with a casual sex partner. For both genders, self-efficacy to refuse sex and to use the female condom predicted intentions to use the female condom. These findings suggest that interventions that focus on self-efficacy may increase the likelihood that Mexican-American women and men will try the female condom.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Self-Efficacy, Sexual Risk Behavior
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.