INCREASING CONDOM USE - EVALUATION OF A THEORY-BASED INTERVENTION TO PREVENT SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASES IN YOUNG-WOMEN

A multicomponent intervention to increase condom use in sexually activ e young women was designed, implemented, and evaluated in a randomized experiment. Participants were 198 unmarried female college students ( mean age = 18.6 years) who received a 1-session condom promotion inter vention or a control (stress management) intervention. The condom prom otion intervention led to increased self-reported condom use up to 6 m onths following intervention as well as positive changes in perceived benefits of condom use, affective attitudes toward condom use and cond om users, perceived acceptance of sexuality, control over the sexual e ncounter, perceived self-efficacy for condom use, and intentions to us e condoms. Mediational analysis illustrated the mechanisms of the cond om promotion intervention effects, linking psychological constructs af fected by the intervention (perceived benefits, acceptance of sexualit y, control over the sexual encounter, attitudes toward condoms, and se lf-efficacy for condom use) to condom use intentions.