Journal Article

Self-Esteem and Theoretical Mediators of Safer Sex Among African American Female Adolescents: Implications for Sexual Risk Reduction Interventions

Crosby, Richard A., Salazar, Laura F., DiClemente, Ralph J., Lescano, Celia M., Harrington, Kathy, Brown, Larry K., Wingood, Gina M., Davies, Susan

2005

Overview

Theories of health behavior posit that change is accomplished by modifying factors deemed as mediators. A set of mediators from several theoretical models used in sexual risk reduction programs was assessed among a sample of 522 African American female adolescents. The goal was to determine whether self-esteem was associated with sexually transmitted disease (STD), pregnancy, and the set of theoretical mediators controlling for covariates. Bivaríate analyses showed no relationship between self-esteem and STD or pregnancy; multivaríate regression analysis revealed a significant relation between self-esteem and the set of mediators. Girls higher in self-esteem were more likely to hold positive condom attitudes, felt more efficacious in negotiating condom use, had more frequent communication with sex partners and parents, perceived fewer barriers to using condoms, and were less fearful of negotiating condom use. Self-esteem should be considered when designing and evaluating sexual risk reduction programs for this population.

• Publisher: Sage Publications,SAGE Publications,Sage,SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subject: Adolescent / Adolescent Behavior - ethnology / Adolescent Behavior - psychology / Adolescent girls / Adolescents / African Americans / African Americans - psychology / Alabama / At Risk Persons / Attitude Measures / Attitudes / Bargaining / Barriers / Behavior change / Behavior modification / Biological and medical sciences / Communication Skills / Condoms / Condoms - utilization / Correlation / Disease transmission / Female / Females / Girls / Health Behavior / Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / HIV Infections - prevention & control / HIV Infections - psychology / Humans / Interpersonal Communication / Low Income Groups / Mediation / Medical sciences / Miscellaneous / Negotiation / Parent Child Relationship / Population growth / Poverty / Pregnancy / Prevention / Public health. Hygiene / Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine / Regression analysis / REGULAR ARTICLES / Risk / Risk assessment / Risk behavior / Risk factors / Risk reduction / Risk Reduction Behavior / Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale / Safe Sex - ethnology / Safe Sex - psychology / Safe sexual practices / Self Concept / Self Esteem / Self evaluation / Self image / Sexual behavior / Sexuality / Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Sexually Transmitted Diseases - prevention & control / Sexually Transmitted Diseases - psychology / Socioeconomic Factors / STD / Teenagers