COMPARISON OF MARINE AND COLLEGE WOMENS HIV AIDS-RELEVANT SEXUAL BEHAVIORS/

This study compares the heterosexual risk behaviors, perceptions of vu lnerability to HIV/AIDS, and predictors of condom use of two groups of women with very different sexual and contraceptive histories and habi ts-college women and women in Marine Corps recruit training. The Marin es' sexual behaviors put them at greater risk of contracting HIV than the college students; that is, Marines reported more frequent intercou rse with more partners, used condoms less frequently, and had less kno wledge about HIV/AIDS transmission. Consistent with these differences, college students displayed a larger illusion of unique invulnerabilit y than did the Marines. In general, the women who had more sexual part ners and more frequent sexual intercourse were less likely to report r egularly using condoms. In addition, the data provide support for Wein stein and Nicholich's (1993) recent suggestion that the relation betwe en risk perception and risk behavior is different for different groups of people.