ILLUSIONS OF SAFETY IN A RISKY WORLD - A STUDY OF COLLEGE-STUDENTS CONDOM USE

The role that costs, benefits, and perceptions of invulnerability play in condom use was examined in a sample of students (N = 211) at 4-yea r and 2-year colleges. In multiple regression analyses, past condom us e was related to relative invulnerability, low present risk, and inexp erience. Less intended condom use was associated with high perceptions of relative invulnerability and low perceptions of present risk. It a ppears that many college students feel protected from HIV because they judge their current sexual environment to be safe due to monogamy, se xual history taking, and the ability to tell a partner's HIV status. I ndependent of that, feelings of relative invulnerability are associate d with more condom use-perhaps an accurate judgment of past risky beha vior.