Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Condom Use with Serious and Casual Heterosexual Partners: Findings from a Community Venue-Based Survey of Young Adults

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
AIDS and Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Given the racial/ethnic disparities that characterize STI trends and recent increases in heterosexually transmitted HIV infection in the US, an understanding of factors underlying condom use among young adults in minority communities is vitally important. To this end, this paper presents findings from a community venue-based survey examining the influence of motivations, heuristics, and relationship factors on condom behaviors with serious and casual heterosexual partners in a sample of urban African American and Puerto Rican males and females ages 18–25 (n = 380). Condom use rates at time of last sex were considerably higher with casual partners (n = 87) than with serious (n = 313) partners, 77.9% vs. 38.7%. While dual pregnancy/STI prevention was the most frequently cited reason for use at last sex with casual partners, pregnancy prevention was the most frequently cited reason for use with serious partners. Bivariate conditional logistic regression analyses found two factors to be associated with condom use at last sex with casual partners: use at first sex with the partner and belief that neighborhood peers worried some/a lot about HIV. In contrast, such factors as condom heuristics (e.g., nonuse symbolizes trust), contraceptive status, and markers of emotional intimacy were associated with condom use with serious partners in both bivariate and multivariable analyses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Weller S, Davis K. Condom effectiveness in reducing heterosexual HIV transmission. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;1:CD003255.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Niccolai LM, Rowhani-Rahbar A, Jenkins H, Green S, Dunne DW. Condom effectiveness for prevention of chlamydia trachomatis infection. Sex Transm Infect. 2005;81(4):323–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Trussell J. Contraceptive efficacy. In: Hatcher RA, Trussell J, Nelson AL, Cates W, Stewart AL, Kowal D, editors. Contraceptive technology. 19th ed. New York: Ardent Media; 2007. p. 747–826.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Characteristics associated with HIV infection among heterosexuals in urban areas with high AIDS prevalence—24 cities, United States, 2006–2007. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60(31):1045–9.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Newman LM, Berman SM. Epidemiology of STD disparities in African American communities. Sex Transm Dis. 2008;35(12 Suppl):S4–12.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Corbett AM, Dickson-Gomez J, Hilario H, Weeks MR. A little thing called love: condom use in high-risk primary heterosexual relationships. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2009;41(4):218–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Harvey SM, Beckman LJ, Gerend MA, et al. A conceptual model of women’s condom intentions: integrating intrapersonal and relationship factors. AIDS Care. 2006;18(7):698–709.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Katz BP, Fortenberry JD, Zimet GD, Blythe MJ, Orr DP. Partner-specific relationship characteristics and condom use among young people with sexually transmitted diseases. J Sex Res. 2000;37(1):69–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Kershaw TS, Ethier KA, Niccolai LM, Lewis JB, Ickovics JR. Misperceived risk among female adolescents: social and psychological factors associated with sexual risk accuracy. Health Psychol. 2003;22(5):523–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Manning WD, Flanigan CM, Giordano PC, Longmore MA. Relationship dynamics and consistency of condom use among adolescents. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2009;41(3):181–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Fisher JD, Fisher WA. The information-motivation-behavioral skills model. In: DiClemente RJ, Crosby RA, Kegler MC, editors. Emerging theories in health promotion practice and research: strategies for improving public health. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2003. p. 40–70.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Cabral RJ, Galavotti C, Armstrong K, Morrow B, Fogarty L. Reproductive and contraceptive attitudes as predictors of condom use among women in an HIV prevention intervention. Women Health. 2001;33(3–4):117–32.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Ott MA, Adler NE, Millstein SG, Tschann JM, Ellen JM. The trade-off between hormonal contraceptives and condoms among adolescents. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2002;34(1):6–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Bauman LJ, Berman R. Adolescent relationships and condom use: trust, love and commitment. AIDS Behav. 2005;9(2):211–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Hoefnagels C, Hospers HJ, Hosman C, Schouten L, Schaalma H. One measure, two motives. Prediction of condom use and interaction between two prevention goals among heterosexual young adults: preventing pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases. Prev Sci. 2006;7(4):369–76.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Lescano CM, Vazquez EA, Brown LK, Litvin EB, Pugatch D; Project SHIELD Study Group. Condom use with “casual” and “main” partners: what’s in a name? J Adolesc Health. 2006;39(3):443.e1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. O’Sullivan LF, Udell W, Patel VL. Young urban adults’ heterosexual risk encounters and perceived risk and safety: a structured diary study. J Sex Res. 2006;43(4):343–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Cooper ML, Agocha VB, Powers AM. Motivations for condom use: do pregnancy prevention goals undermine disease prevention among heterosexual young adults? Health Psychol. 1999;18(5):464–74.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. deVisser R, Smith A. Relationship between sexual partners influences rates and correlates of condom use. AIDS Educ Prev. 2001;13(5):413–27.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Thorburn S, Harvey SM, Ryan EA. HIV prevention heuristics and condom use among African Americans at risk for HIV. AIDS Care. 2005;17(3):335–44.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Misovich SJ, Fisher JD, Fisher WA. Close relationships and elevated HIV risk behavior: evidence and possible underlying psychological processes. Rev Gen Psychol. 1997;1(1):72–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Patel VL, Gutnik LA, Yoskowitz NA, O’Sullivan LF, Kaufman DR. Patterns of reasoning and decision making about condom use by urban college students. AIDS Care. 2006;18(8):918–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Sobo EJ. Inner-city women and AIDS: the psycho-social benefits of unsafe sex. Cult Med Psychiatry. 1993;17(4):455–85.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Harman JJ, O’Grady MA, Wilson K. What you think you know can hurt you: perceptual biases about HIV risk in intimate relationships. AIDS Behav. 2009;13(2):246–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. O’Leary A. Women at risk for HIV from a primary partner: balancing risk and intimacy. Annu Rev Sex Res. 2000;11:191–234.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Fortenberry JD, Tu W, Harezlak J, Katz BP, Orr DP. Condom use as a function of time in new and established adolescent relationships. Am J Public Health. 2002;92(2):211–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Santelli JS, Kouzis AC, Hoover DR, Polacsek M, Burwell LG, Celentano DD. Stage of behavior change for condom use: the influence of partner type, relationship and pregnancy factors. Fam Plann Perspect. 1996;28(3):101–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Brady SS, Tschann JM, Ellen JM, Flores E. Infidelity, trust, and condom use among Latino youth in dating relationships. Sex Transm Dis. 2009;36(4):227–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Marston C, King E. Factors that shape young people’s sexual behaviour: a systematic review. Lancet. 2006;368(9547):1581–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Foulkes HB, Pettigrew MM, Livingston KA, Niccolai LM. Comparison of sexual partner characteristics and associations with inconsistent condom use among a sample of adolescents and adult women diagnosed with Chlamydia trachomatis. J Womens Health. 2009;18(3):393–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Peipert JF, Lapane KL, Allsworth JE, et al. Women at risk for sexually transmitted diseases: correlates of intercourse without barrier contraception. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007;197(5):474.e1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Sheeran P, Abraham C, Orbell S. Psychosocial correlates of heterosexual condom use: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 1999;125(1):90–132.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Wilson EK, Koo HP. Associations between low-income women’s relationship characteristics and their contraceptive use. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2008;40(3):171–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Crosby RA, DiClemente RJ, Wingood GM, et al. Condom use and correlates of African American adolescent females’ infrequent communication with sex partners about preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Health Educ Behav. 2002;29(2):219–31.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Ibanez GE, Van Oss MB, Villarreal C, Gomez CA. Condom use at last sex among unmarried Latino men: an event level analysis. AIDS Behav. 2005;9(4):433–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Abraham T, Macauda M, Erickson P, Singer M. “And let me see them damn papers!” The role of STI/AIDS screening among urban African American and Puerto Rican youth in the transition to sex without a condom. AIDS Behav. 2011;15(7):1359–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Carter MW, Hock-Long L, Kraft JM, Henry-Moss D, Hatfield-Timajchy K, Singer M. Strategies for managing the dual risk of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy among Puerto Rican and African American young adults. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(3):449–56.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Hock-Long L, Carter M, Cassidy A, Erickson P, Hatfield-Timajchy K. Condom use patterns in sexual/romantic relationships: implications for public health practice. Paper presented at 137th annual meeting of the American Public Health Association; 2009 Nov 7–11, Philadelphia.

  39. Jaccard J, McDonald R, Wan CK, Dittus PJ, Quinlan S. The accuracy of self-reports of condom use and sexual behavior. J Appl Soc Psychol. 2002;32(9):1863–905.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Stueve A, O’Donnell LN, Duran R, San Doval A, Blome J. Time-space sampling in minority communities: results with young Latino men who have sex with men. Am J Public Health. 2001;91(6):922–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Berlin JA, Kimmel SE, Ten Have TR, Sammel MD. An empirical comparison of several clustered data approaches under confounding due to cluster effects in the analysis of complications of coronary angioplasty. Biometrics. 1999;55(2):470–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Boyd CO. Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. In: Munhall PL, Boyd CO, editors. Nursing research: a qualitative perspective. 3rd ed. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett; 2001. p. 454–75.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Denzin N. The research act: a theoretical introduction to sociological methods. 3rd ed. New York: Prentice Hall; 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Foss C, Ellefsen B. The value of combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in nursing research by means of method triangulation. J Adv Nurs. 2002;40(2):242–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Knafl KA, Breitmayer BJ. Triangulation in qualitative research: issues of conceptual clarity and purpose. In: Morse JM, editor. Qualitative research: a contemporary dialogue. Newbury Park: Sage; 1991. p. 226–39.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Younge SN, Salazar LF, Crosby RF, DiClemente RJ, Wingood GM, Rose E. Condom use at last sex as a proxy for other measures of condom use: is it good enough? Adolescence. 2008;43(172):927–31.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Kippax S, Crawford J, Davis M, Rodden P, Dowsett G. Sustaining safe sex: a longitudinal study of a sample of homosexual men. AIDS. 1993;7(2):257–63.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Cooperative Agreements between the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Family Planning Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania (#U58/CCU323065) and the University of Connecticut (#U58/CCU123064). The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The authors would like to posthumously thank Thomas R. Ten Have, PhD, MPH, former Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, for the guidance he provided during the initial preparation of this paper.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Dare Henry-Moss

    Present address: The Center for Research on Reproduction and Women’s Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

  2. Amy Cassidy

    Present address: Neuropsychiatry Section, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

  3. Mark Macauda

    Present address: Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Department, Family Planning Council, 1700 Market Street, 18th Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, USA

    Linda Hock-Long, Dare Henry-Moss & Amy Cassidy

  2. Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Marion Carter & Kendra Hatfield-Timajchy

  3. Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Pamela I. Erickson, Mark Macauda & Merrill Singer

  4. Biostatistics Service Center, School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jesse Chittams

Authors
  1. Linda Hock-Long
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dare Henry-Moss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marion Carter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kendra Hatfield-Timajchy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Pamela I. Erickson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Amy Cassidy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Mark Macauda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Merrill Singer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Jesse Chittams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda Hock-Long.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hock-Long, L., Henry-Moss, D., Carter, M. et al. Condom Use with Serious and Casual Heterosexual Partners: Findings from a Community Venue-Based Survey of Young Adults. AIDS Behav 17, 900–913 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-012-0177-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-012-0177-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation