CONDITIONAL VERSUS UNCONDITIONAL RISK ESTIMATES IN MODELS OF AIDS-RELATED RISK BEHAVIOR

This study focuses on the concept of perceived risk and its relations to behavioural intentions and behaviour. Most research on health relat ed behaviour employs a measure of unconditional risk. Given the incons istent findings concerning the relationship between perceived risk and behavioural measures in the health literature, we investigated the us efulness of a conditional risk estimate as an alternative measure. In total, 247 heterosexual visitors of a STD-clinic participated in this study. Hundred participants had private partners only, 147 engaged in prostitution contacts. The relationship between the unconditional meas ure of perceived risk and behavioural intentions was found to be depen dent upon sample-differences. However, it appeared that when a conditi onal risk estimate was used, a significant positive relation with inte ntion was observed, regardless of the risk-status of the sample. Given the results of the present study, and the closer resemblance of the c onditional risk measure to the original concept of vulnerability or su sceptibility, it is argued that a conditional risk measure is more use ful than a relatively general, unconditional measure of perceived risk .