DETERMINANTS OF INTENTIONS TO PRACTICE SAFE SEX AMONG 16-25 YEAR-OLDS

This study aimed at predicting intentions to avoid casual sex and to u se condoms, through self-efficacy, attitudes, optimistic bias in perce ived risk, knowledge and past sexual risk behaviour. To this end, a mi xed-sex sample of high school and university students between 16 and 2 5 years completed questionnaires at two points in time. Intentions to avoid casual sex were predicted positively by the attitude towards avo iding casual sex and assertiveness in sexual relationships, and negati vely by communication about sex. The intention to use condoms was pred icted positively by the perceived benefits of condom use, and negative ly by past sexual risk behaviour and fatalism. Gender and sexual exper ience were found to have a moderating influence, implying that AIDS ed ucation should use different messages for these target groups. Since t he results show that condom use is quite a powerful habit and that sex ually non-active subjects had more positive intentions towards safe se x, AIDS education should start at a young age in order to establish sa fe sex habits from the beginning. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.