Correlates of safer sex communication among college students

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that are thought to promot e communication about safer sex and HIV among college students in the Unite d States of America and to determine the extent to which communication abou t safer sex is important in the use of condoms. A better understanding of f actors associated with safer sex communication can be helpful in developing HIV and STD prevention programmes for college students. Following approval from the institutional review boards of the six participating colleges and universities, researchers collected data from a random sample of students. The study included participant responses if participants were 18-25 years of age, single and sexually active. For the sample of 1349 participants, th e mean age was 20.6 years. Sixty-three per cent of the sample was female, 5 0.5% white, 42.3% African-American, and the remainder of other ethnic group s. Over 50% of respondents reported frequent condom use, with 28% noting th at they used a condom every time and 30.6% reporting condom use almost ever y time they had sex. Only 9.6% indicated that they never used a condom. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the per ception of quality of general communication with parents, the perception of a partner's attitude towards communication, communication self-efficacy, a nd communication outcome expectancies, were associated with safer sex commu nication. However, the association between safer sex communication and cond om use was weak, suggesting that other factors excluded from this study are important in determining condom use for this sample of respondents. The fi ndings provide some implications for HIV interventions. Interventions that enhance self-efficacy and positive outcome expectancies related to communic ation about safer sex are likely to foster discussion with a sexual partner . However, they might not lead to actual condom use.