Social Behavior and Condom Use Among Males: A Multidimensional Assessment

Abstract

A multidimensional assessment approach was used to examine the relationship between social behavior and condom use. A sample of 147 male undergraduates completed a battery of measures, including a role-play test, designed to assess several dimensions of social behavior (i.e., assertiveness, problem solving, heterosocial skill, skill in simulated contraceptive interactions) and contraceptive/prophylactic use (i.e., engagement in contraceptive-related social behaviors, enactment of the component behaviors comprising competent condom use, consistency of contraceptive and condom use). Overall, a strong relationship between social behavior and both the consistency and quality of condom and contraceptive use was found. Individuals who reported engaging in more contraceptive-related social behaviors tended to use condoms, and other forms of contraception, more consistently. In addition to using condoms more consistently, the results indicated that these males also used condoms more competently, that is, they endorsed a higher frequency of participation in the component behaviors associated with using a condom. Inspection of the social skill measures indicates that the relationship is complex and difficult to interpret. Two dimensions of social skill (assertiveness, problem solving) were found to be inversely related to the consistent use of condoms. In contrast, the contraceptive role-play performances were positively associated with the consistency of condom use. The role-play measure's positive relationship to condom use may result from the fact that it assesses skill in specific social situations that more closely resemble those experienced by condom users rather than more trait-like dispositional variables.