Browsing by Subject "condom use"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Condom use as a function of new young adult relationship duration
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Harezlak, Jaroslaw; He, Fei; Hensel, Devon J.; Fortenberry, J. Dennis
    Objective: To find out how condom use in new relationships changes as a function of time, gender, as well as sexual and relationship satisfaction. Method: Participants in a larger study who reported at least one new partner during the 12-week study interval (N=115; 18-29 yrs; 48% women; 75% African American) completed weekly STI testing and 3x/day electronic diary collection assessing individual and partner-specific affect, daily activities, sexual behavior and condom use. We analyzed event-level condom use percentage and subject-level behavior response effects. Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) were used to estimate condom use probability accounting for within-subject and within-nested-partners correlations via random effects. Results: The average initial condom use in the new relationships was 62% for men and 46% for women. The plotted smooth shapes of the estimated condom use probabilities fitted using GAMMs were qualitatively similar for both sexes throughout the study period. The initial high condom use percentage was followed by a sharp decline during the first 1.5 weeks to 19% for men and 14% for women. The condom use rates stabilized at around 6% after 4 weeks in a new relationship. Women who reported high levels of relationship satisfaction exhibited marginally significant negative association with condom use probability (p-value=0.055). Sex satisfaction was not significantly associated with condom use when both the time trends and gender were taken into account. Conclusion: Condom use declines sharply for both males and females during the early stages of new relationships. Men use condoms more frequently than women in the early and middle stages of relationships. Relationship characteristics may also influence lower levels of condom use, especially among women.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Leveraging a relationship-based sexual health framework for sexual risk prevention in adolescent men in the United States
    (CSIRO, 2017) Hensel, Devon J.; Bales, Casey L.; Taylor, Julia F.; Fortenberry, J. Dennis; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Studies link sexual health to lower sexual risk in adolescent women, yet no empirical literature evaluates these associations in adolescent men. Methods: Data were drawn from a longitudinal cohort study of sexual relationships and sexual behaviour among adolescent men (n = 72; 14–16 years) in the US. Participants contributed quarterly partner-specific interviews, from which sexual health information and partnered sexual behaviours were drawn. A multidimensional measure of sexual health was constructed and linked to partnered outcomes, including oral–genital, vaginal and anal sex, condom use, partner concurrency and intimate partner violence. Random intercept, mixed-effects linear, ordinal logistic or binary logistic regression were for analyses. Models controlled for participant age, race/ethnicity and relationship length. Results: Adolescent men contributed 651 unique partner-specific interviews. A higher sexual health score with partners was significantly associated with more frequent oral–genital and vaginal sex, as well as higher condom use, lower partner concurrency and lower received and perpetuated intimate partner violence. Conclusion: Positive sexually related experiences in adolescent men contribute to a core of sexual wellbeing, which in turn is linked to lower levels of sexual risk with partners. The present study data support both developmental and public health applications of sexual health, with attention on promoting healthy sexuality as well as risk reduction. Higher sexual health among adolescent men from the US is associated with more frequent condom use, lower partner concurrency and less frequent intimate partner violence. Young men’s exercising the skills associated with healthy sexuality may also reinforce the skills needed to both enjoy sexuality with partners and to avoid adverse sexual outcomes.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Reasons People Give for Using (or not Using) Condoms
    (Springer, 2016) Farrington, Elizabeth M.; Bell, David C.; DiBacco, Aron E.; Department of Sociology, School of Liberal Arts
    Study participants (N = 348) were asked about 46 reasons that have been suggested for why people use or do not use condoms. Participants were asked which of these reasons motivated them when they were deciding whether to use condoms in 503 sexual relationships. Participants were classified into one of three roles based on their HIV status and the status of each sexual partner: HIV+ people with HIV− partners; HIV− people with HIV+ partners; and HIV− people with HIV− partners. Motivations were looked at in the context of each of these roles. Of the 46 reasons, only 15 were selected by at least 1/3 of the participants, and only seven were selected by at least half. Frequently reported reasons primarily concern protecting self and partner from STDs including HIV. Less frequently reported reasons involved social norms, effects of condoms on sex, and concern for the relationship. These findings have implications for clinical interventions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A test of the expanded AIDS risk reduction model managing risk to me, risk to you and risk to us
    (2015) Collins, Brian Todd II; Bell, David C.; Foote, Carrie Elizabeth; Hensel, Devon J.
    Currently, 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection, while one in eight are unaware of their infection status. The purpose of this study was to test the ability of the expanded ARRM to see if the model contributed something to the research of why people protect themselves from HIV. To add to the research regarding motivating factors of HIV protection, we decided to add two concepts to the ARRM; partner protection and relationship preservation. Findings of the study suggest HIV-positive partners are motivated to using condoms to protect their partners especially when they believe their partners are at risk for contracting HIV. Relationship preservation results illustrated that when people fear of losing their relationship they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep the relationship going, even at the cost of contracting HIV. By extending the ARRM, as well as incorporating HIV status, we now can begin understanding the many motivating factors towards why people are and are not using condoms to protect themselves or their partner.