ATTACKING THE PERSONAL FABLE - ROLE-PLAY AND ITS EFFECT ON TEEN ATTITUDES TOWARD SEXUAL ABSTINENCE

The premise behind this study was that teens engage in early sex becau se they believe the ''personal fable'' concerning pregnancy: ''It can' t happen to me.'' Because role-play is a powerful tool for attitude ch ange, the basic intervention consisted of teens enacting the consequen ces of teen pregnancy. Ss were 267 9th graders (both male and female) in a high-risk urban high school. Factor analysis of a questionnaire c oncerning sexual attitudes yielded orthogonal attitudes toward (a) abs taining from teen sexual behavior, and (b) use of contraceptives. ANOV As indicated that, compared to a control group, both role-playing the consequences of teen pregnancy, and watching videos of friends role-pl aying, significantly increased the favorable attitude toward abstinenc e in girls but not boys. However, these interventions did not affect a ttitudes toward contraceptive use.