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ERIC Number: EJ1033596
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0897-5264
EISSN: N/A
The Influence of Sexual Scripts and the "Better than Average" Effect on Condom Responsibility
Ross-Bailey, Lindsey L.; Moring, John; Angiola, Julie; Bowen, Anne
Journal of College Student Development, v55 n4 p408-412 2014
Young adults attending college are especially susceptible to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to high rates of risky sexual behaviour. Many college students are aware of the disease risks involved in vaginal and anal intercourse with heterosexual partners; however, only 35% of sexually active students reported condom use. Data from this study are part of a larger study reported in Ross and Bowen (2011) that showed college students believe their own intentions for refusing sex and utilizing a condom during a casual sexual encounter are higher than other college students. Participants in this study were undergraduate college students--78 females and 52 males who identified as heterosexual or bisexual and were at least 18 years old. Participants were enrolled at a medium-sized public university in the Rocky Mountain region. Intentions about sexual behavior and condom use were elicited using vignettes created specifically for the study. Participants read two vignettes, one written in the second person and one in the third person. Vignettes were matched to the participants' gender to increase the ecological validity of vignettes for heterosexual participants. Measures used in this study included the Demographics Questionnaire, the Sexual History Questionnaire, and the Responsibility for Condom Suggestion and Condom Provision. Results indicated that in the vignette from the second person perspective, 77.7% of participants indicated that the individual ("you") was responsible for suggesting condom use, while 8.5% and 13.8% indicated the partner or both partners, respectively, were responsible for suggesting condom use. In the third person perspective, 50.0% of participants indicated that the main character (matched by participant gender) in the vignette was responsible, 30.0% indicated the hypothetical partner was responsible, and 20.0% indicated that both characters were responsible for suggesting condom use. Overall, participants were significantly more likely to take personal responsibility for suggesting condom use when the vignette referred to the participant as "you" and a hypothetical partner compared to two hypothetical partners. Vignette perspective (i.e., second person versus third person) did not significantly impact responses about condom provision. Most participants, across both vignette perspectives, believed that male partners are responsible for providing condoms.
Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/subscribe.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A