Condom use self-efficacy: Effect on intended and actual condom use in adolescents

Purpose: To investigate aspects of adolescents' condom use self-efficacy th at affect their intended and actual condom use. Methods: Four hundred twenty-four male and female sexually experienced and inexperienced adolescents with a mean age of 17.0 years filled out a questi onnaire concerning condom use self-efficacy and intended and actual. condom use. Specific condom use self-efficacy scales were constructed from 37 ite ms on the basis of a principal component analysis. The effect of self-effic acy, both as a global measure and in terms of specific scales, on condom us e intention and consistency was assessed using multiple hierarchic regressi on analyses. Results: Six specific self-efficacy scales were constructed: Technical Skil ls, Image Confidence, Emotion Control, purchase, Assertiveness, and Sexual Control. In sexually inexperienced adolescents, global self-efficacy explai ned 48%, the six self-efficacy scales 30%, and both together 51% of the var iance in intention, after statistical control for gender, age, and educatio n level. In the sexually experienced sample, this was 40%, 50%, and 57% for intention, and 23%, 29%, and 33% for consistency of condom use. Significan t predictors of intention in the final model were gender, age, global self- efficacy and purchasing skills in the inexperienced sample, and global self -efficacy, emotion control, assertiveness, image confidence, and sexual con trol in the experienced sample, whereas gender, age, global self-efficacy, emotion control, assertiveness, and purchase predicted consistency of condo m use in the experienced sample. Conclusions: Condom use self-efficacy is a multidimensional construct. Inte nded and actual condom use in adolescents are best predicted by self-effica cy measures that include both global and relevant specific aspects of condo m use. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2001.