Influences on adolescent knowledge and attitudes as they influence confidence about sexual abstinence

Background: Premarital sexual activity among teens continues to be a controversial issue in the U.S. WAIT (Why Am I Tempted) Training is a curriculum that delivers health and youth development messages through abstinence only education in classroom settings. This study was conducted in twenty public and private schools in a large urban county of Florida. Methods: Pretest questionnaires were analyzed from 2,147 adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age who participated in WAIT training. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to test the fit of a set of models to explain influences and mediating factors on adolescent knowledge, beliefs and confidence. Results: Bivariate analysis showed teen knowledge, beliefs, and confidence about abstinence and sexual activity differed significantly by gender, race, age, and school type. Overall, males had more knowledge and were more realistic about sexual activities among teens and the challenges of being abstinent. Females saw more negative outcomes to sexual activity and positive benefits to abstinence. White and Asian students were more confident about their ability to be abstinent than Black students. SEM analyses are currently being conducted to analyze relationships among latent variables of (a) knowledge, (b) beliefs about consequences, (c) self-efficacy, and (d) social influences, as they relate to adolescent confidence and intention to be abstinent. Conclusions: Although numerous studies have examined antecedents of adolescent sexual behaviors, this study offers a new examination of the inter relationships among these antecedents that therefore may better inform the way we educate teens about sexual activity and abstinence.