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Understanding Problems with Condom Fit and Feel: An Important Opportunity for Improving Clinic-Based Safer Sex Programs

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences and other demographic correlates of condom fit and feel problems among a diverse sample of adult condom users and to examine men’s and women’s perceptions and experiences with condom fit and feel problems. Participants were recruited from an electronic mailing list. The analytic sample (N = 949) included self-identified heterosexual men (n = 771) and women (n = 178) who reported using condoms for penile–vaginal or penile–anal intercourse in the past 3 months. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied. Of the sample, 38.3 % reported experiencing at least one condom fit or feel problem. Problems with condom fit during sex did not differ significantly by gender (p = .73). Perceptions of specific condom use problems were organized into five themes: (1) decreased sensation, (2) lack of naturalness, (3) condom size complaints, (4) decreased pleasure, and (5) pain and discomfort. In this diverse sample, there was a high prevalence of condom fit and feel issues among women as well as men. These issues, mostly focused on loss of pleasure, represent a substantial public health problem and thus warrant attention in safer sex programs.

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Acknowledgments

Support for this project was provided, in part, by The Social Justice and Sexual Health Research Centre at the University of Windsor, Ontario, The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Indiana University, and the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention, a joint project of Indiana University, the University of Colorado, and the University of Kentucky.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Richard A. Crosby, Robin R. Milhausen, William L. Yarber, Stephanie A. Sanders & Cynthia A. Graham

  2. Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Richard A. Crosby, Robin R. Milhausen, William L. Yarber, Stephanie A. Sanders & Cynthia A. Graham

  3. Department of Health Behavior, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, 121 Washington Ave., Lexington, KY, 40506, USA

    Richard A. Crosby

  4. Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada

    Robin R. Milhausen

  5. Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Kristen P. Mark & William L. Yarber

  6. Department of Gender Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    William L. Yarber & Stephanie A. Sanders

  7. Department of Psychology, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK

    Cynthia A. Graham

Authors
  1. Richard A. Crosby
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  2. Robin R. Milhausen
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  3. Kristen P. Mark
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  4. William L. Yarber
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  5. Stephanie A. Sanders
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  6. Cynthia A. Graham
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Correspondence to Richard A. Crosby.

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Crosby, R.A., Milhausen, R.R., Mark, K.P. et al. Understanding Problems with Condom Fit and Feel: An Important Opportunity for Improving Clinic-Based Safer Sex Programs. J Primary Prevent 34, 109–115 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-013-0294-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-013-0294-3

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