In the past several years, the greatest proportionate increase in AIDS diagnoses has occurred among women. Yet, while the risk of HIV infection increases, female college students continue to report inconsistent HIV prevention behaviors. Past research on condom use among college women has focused on intrapersonal aspects of the behavior, and little is known about the influence of interpersonal factors on women's condom use. In this study we examined the relative salience of both intra and interpersonal factors on African American and white women's use of condoms. We found that interpersonal variables were particularly salient predictors of condom use. There were no ethnic differences in the effects of interpersonal variables; however, there were differences in the effects of self-efficacy on condom use.
PIP: The relative importance of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors on women's condom use was assessed in a cross-sectional study of 762 sexually active female students (mean age, 20.5 years) from 6 colleges and universities in Atlanta, Georgia (US), who had never married and were not currently living with a partner. 354 respondents were White and 408 were Black. Measures were taken of self-efficacy for condom use; perceived partner reactions to condom use and self-evaluative outcome expectancies; perceived partner attitudes toward condoms; and condom use. After controlling for race, partner attitude toward condoms was the most salient predictor of actual condom use; this variable explained 17% of the variance. For White women only, higher self-efficacy was associated with increased condom use; however, self-efficacy explained only 2% of the overall variance. These findings confirm the importance of interpersonal variables in influencing both Black and White women's condom use.