Sensation Seeking Scores Research Articles

The impact of children's exposure to greenspace on physical activity, cognitive development, emotional wellbeing, and ability to appraise risk

IntroductionThe current study utilised objective techniques to investigate the relationship between children's time spent in greenspace (open land covered in grass or other vegetation) with various physical and psychological variables. Potential relationships between physical activity and greenspace with body composition, emotional wellbeing, sensation seeking tendencies, ability to appraise risk, and cognitive development are investigated. Methods108 participants aged 11–14 years from three intermediate schools in Auckland, New Zealand, were assessed. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and geolocational data were recorded using accelerometers and portable global positioning system (GPS) receivers (respectively) over a 7-day period in September-December 2014. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated from height, weight, and waist circumference. Participants also completed online cognitive testing, a computerised risk appraisal tool, and a questionnaire for assessing emotional wellbeing and sensation seeking characteristics. Data analysis took place during February to May 2015. Generalised linear mixed models were used to quantify the associations between MVPA, greenspace exposure, and secondary outcome variables. ResultsFindings confirmed that greenspace exposure is positively associated with MVPA in children (B=0.94; p<0.05). Furthermore, both greenspace exposure and MVPA were related to greater emotional wellbeing, with the former exhibiting a stronger relationship than the latter. Risk-taking and sensation seeking scores were positively associated with MVPA, but not with greenspace exposure. No associations were detected between BMI, WHtR, cognitive domains, and either MVPA or greenspace exposure. ConclusionsFindings support the theory that for children, greenspaces are an important environmental influence on physical activity and emotional wellbeing.

Amphetamine-type stimulant use among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam: Results from a socio-ecological, community-based study

IntroductionAmphetamine-type-stimulants (ATS) use is associated with HIV-related sexual risk behaviours and is an emergent problem among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam. The purpose of this study is to describe ATS use patterns and understand the correlates of recent methamphetamine use from a socio-ecological perspective. MethodsFrom September through December, 2014, 622 MSM were recruited in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We collected information on demographic characteristics, HIV testing behaviours, use of ATS and other recreational drugs (ever and recently), sexual sensation seeking, depressive mood, experienced and internalized stigma related to homosexuality, social involvement with other MSM, and perceptions of ATS use in MSM networks. We performed descriptive statistics to describe ATS use patterns and multivariate logistic regression to establish independent correlates of recent methamphetamine use. ResultsNearly one-third (30.4%) had ever used ATS, including 23.6% who had used methamphetamine, 4.3% who had used amphetamine (‘speed’) and 20.9% who had used ecstasy. 20.1% and 11.9% had ever used methamphetamine and ecstasy, respectively, during sex. Eighteen percent of methamphetamine users were classified as engaged in high-risk use. Recent methamphetamine use (in the last 3 months) was associated with participants perceiving more methamphetamine use in their MSM network, recent sex work, and higher sexual sensation seeking scores. ConclusionsATS use is relatively prevalent among MSM sampled in Vietnam's main cities. Interventions to address methamphetamine are warranted for MSM in Vietnam. Methamphetamine treatments are needed for high-risk users.

Trajectories of Sensation Seeking Among Puerto Rican Children and Youth

To document the natural course of sensation seeking from childhood to adolescence, characterize distinct sensation seeking trajectories, and examine how these trajectories vary according to selected predictors. Data were obtained from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of 2,491 children and adolescents of Puerto Rican background (3 assessments from 2000 to 2004). First, age-specific sensation seeking levels were characterized, and then age-adjusted residuals were analyzed using growth mixture models. On average, sensation seeking was stable in childhood (ages 5-10 years) and increased during adolescence (ages 11-17 years). Mean scores of sensation seeking were higher in the South Bronx versus Puerto Rico and among males versus females. Four classes of sensation seeking trajectories were observed: most study participants had age-expected sensation seeking trajectories following the average for their age ("normative," 43.8%); others (37.2%) remained consistently lower than the expected average for their age ("low" sensation seeking); some (12.0%) had an "accelerated" sensation seeking trajectory, increasing at a faster rate than expected; and a minority (7.0%) had a decreasing sensation seeking trajectory that started high but decreased, reaching scores slightly higher than the age-average sensation seeking scores ("stabilizers"). Site (South Bronx versus Puerto Rico) and gender were predictors of membership in a specific class of sensation seeking trajectory. It is important to take a developmental approach when examining sensation seeking and to consider gender and the social environment when trying to understand how sensation seeking evolves during childhood and adolescence.

The influence of impulsiveness on binge eating and problem gambling: A prospective study of gender differences in Canadian adults.

This study investigated the degree to which facets of impulsiveness predicted future binge eating and problem gambling, 2 theorized forms of behavioral addiction. Participants were 596 women and 406 men from 4 age cohorts randomly recruited from a Canadian province. Participants completed self-report measures of 3 facets of impulsiveness (negative urgency, sensation seeking, lack of persistence), binge-eating frequency, and problem-gambling symptoms. Impulsiveness was assessed at baseline, and assessments of binge eating and problem gambling were followed up after 3 years. Weighted data were analyzed using zero-inflated negative binomial and Poisson regression models. We found evidence of transdiagnostic and disorder-specific predictors of binge eating and problem gambling. Negative urgency emerged as a common predictor of binge eating and problem gambling among women and men. There were disorder-specific personality traits identified among men only: High lack-of-persistence scores predicted binge eating and high sensation-seeking scores predicted problem gambling. Among women, younger age predicted binge eating and older age predicted problem gambling. Thus, there are gender differences in facets of impulsiveness that longitudinally predict binge eating and problem gambling, suggesting that treatments for these behaviors should consider gender-specific personality and demographic traits in addition to the common personality trait of negative urgency.

Psychological Characteristics of Problem Gamblers with and without Mood Disorder

Problem and pathological gamblers are significantly more likely to experience mood disorders, compared with the general population. Our study examined the relation of psychological characteristics (personality, trait impulsiveness, and gambling motives) to current co-occurring mood disorder (major depression and dysthymia) status among problem and pathological gamblers. Problem and pathological gamblers (N = 150) underwent a clinical interview to assess current co-occurring mood disorders; participants completed measures of problem gambling severity, personality, impulsiveness, and gambling motives. Problem and pathological gamblers with a current co-occurring mood disorder were more likely to be female, older, and to report higher lifetime and past-year gambling severity. A co-occurring mood disorder was associated with higher personality scores for alienation and stress reaction, lower scores for well-being, social closeness, and control, as well as higher impulsiveness scores for urgency and lack of premeditation, and lower sensation seeking scores. Participants with a co-occurring mood disorder also reported higher coping motives for gambling. Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that personality factors (lower social closeness and higher alienation) contributed to the greatest likelihood of being diagnosed with a co-occurring mood disorder. Mood disorders frequently co-occur with problem and pathological gambling, and they are associated with greater gambling severity. These findings highlight that interpersonal facets of personality contribute substantially to co-occurring mood disorder status. Implications for treatment will be discussed.

Using psychological markers of sport injuries for navy diving training

This study explored the feasibility of using psychological markers of injury risk, developed for elite athletes, in the context of navy diving training. It set two objectives: firstly, to explore the associations of pre-course psychological variables with injury during the course, and secondly, to explore the temporal association of weekly mood states with injuries. Trainee navy divers (N = 41) completed measures of trait anxiety, sensation seeking, and transient mood states prior to training, and also reported weekly mood states. No significant associations between pre-course mood states and injury were found. Higher pre-course trait anxiety and lower sensation-seeking scores were associated with injury (p < .05 for both, with moderate effect size), as was the combination of high sensation-seeking scores and high fatigue in the week preceding injury. Increased weekly scores (>1 SD from baseline) on Tension, Depression and Confusion scales were significantly associated with the occurrence of injury in the succeeding week, although the statistical results were modest. The use of psychological measures to predict injury risk appears to hold promise for navy diving training.

Circadian typology and the Alternative Five-Factor Model of personality.

Two studies were carried out to explore the relationship between circadian typology and the Alternative Five-Factor Model of personality. In the first study, 379 participants (232 females) were administered the reduced version of the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire. Evening types reported higher impulsive sensation-seeking scores than morning and intermediate types, whereas morning types scored higher than evening types on activity factor. In the second study, the association between morningness and activity personality factor was verified through the objective-actigraphic monitoring of the rest-activity cycle. Actigraphy allowed us to operationalise both circadian typology, through the computing of midpoint of sleep (early values, expressed in hours and minutes, correspond to an advanced phase of the sleep/wake cycle), and activity factor by the means of motor activity recording. Fifty-one individuals (30 females) wore an actigraph on the nondominant wrist continuously for 1 week. A negative correlation was observed between midpoint of sleep and mean diurnal motor activity, demonstrating that an early phase of the sleep/wake cycle (i.e. morningness preference) was related to higher diurnal motor activity. Assessed both subjectively and objectively, the results of both studies highlight a significant relationship between morningness and activity personality factor.

Risk factors for e-cigarette, conventional cigarette, and dual use in German adolescents: A cohort study

ObjectiveLittle is known about risk factors that are associated with e-cigarette use in adolescents. MethodsMultilevel mixed-effects regressions were performed to assess the relationship between factors that might be associated with e-cigarette, conventional cigarette and dual use in a cohort of 2693 German adolescents (mean age=12.5years; SD=0.6). Risk factors were assessed in October 2010 and life time e-cigarette and conventional cigarette use were assessed 26months later. ResultsUse of e-cigarettes as well as use of conventional cigarette and dual use were associated with higher sensation seeking scores, and higher odds of having friends and parents who smoke conventional cigarettes, with conventional cigarette use additionally with male gender, being older, having higher odds of siblings who smoke conventional cigarettes, and less likely for adolescents who attend a Gymnasium, secondary school with a strong emphasis on academic learning. The use of conventional cigarettes at baseline did not predict e-cigarette use at follow-up. Lifetime prevalence of e-cigarette use was 4.7%, of conventional cigarette use 18.4%. A quarter of e-cigarette users (23.8%) never smoked a conventional cigarette. DiscussionData indicate that e-cigarette and conventional cigarette use share many but not all risk factors. E-cigarettes could counteract the process of denormalization of smoking.

Differences between genders according to psychological and behavioral variables among 10th grade students in Istanbul

Objective: Aim of this study was to determine the gender differences according to psychological and behavioral variables among 10th grade students in Istanbul/Turkey. Methods: Cross-sectional online self-report survey conducted in 45 schools from the 15 districts in Istanbul. The questionnaire included sections about demographic data and school life. Also depression, anxiety, anger, sensation seeking, assertivity and impulsivity subscales of Psychological Screening Test for Adolescents (PSTA) were used. The analyses were conducted based on the 4957 subjects. Results: Rate of males was 52.7% (n=2614). Mean age, sensation seeking and impulsivity scores were higher in males, whereas depression, anxiety, anger and lack of assertivity scores were higher in females. Rates of poor school success, disciplinary punishment, absenteeism, truancy before age of 13, physical harm from a friend, physical fight in last year, to bear arms and problem with the law were higher in males, whereas having suicidal ideation or attempt were higher in females. In logistic regression model, school related problems (poor school success, absenteeism and truancy before age of 13), delinquent behavior (physical fight in last year, to bear arms and physical harm from a friend), sensation seeking, and lower depression, anxiety, anger, impulsivity, lack of assertivity, and suicidal ideation differentiated males from females. Discussion: The findings suggest that females have higher psychological problems such as anger, depression and anxiety, which may also be related with suicidal thoughts, whereas males have higher school related and behavioral problems.

Predicting treatment failure in pathological gambling: The role of personality traits

IntroductionThe aim of this study was twofold: First, to assess the personality profile of treatment-seeking adult outpatients with pathological gambling compared to a matched control group under the Alternative Five Factor Model perspective, and second, to determine which personality variables would predict treatment outcome. MethodsThe final total sample consisted of 44 consecutive treatment-seeking pathological gamblers (PGs) and 88 controls paired by age and sex who completed the Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ). Twelve months after starting an open program of individual cognitive-behavioral therapy, PGs were categorized as abstinent or treatment failure. ResultsPGs scored significantly higher on Neuroticism–Anxiety. Those who had relapsed or dropped out showed higher Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking scores. Impulsivity emerged as a significant predictor of treatment failure. Treatment-seeking PGs scored higher on Neuroticism–Anxiety and Impulsivity appeared as a risk factor of relapsing or dropping out. ConclusionsOur findings support the importance of individual differences in personality on therapy outcomes. The ZKPQ may constitute a useful tool to identify these individual differences that might be considered when making personalized treatment decisions to improve the effectiveness and quality of treatment interventions.

Sex attracts: investigating individual differences in attentional bias to sexual stimuli.

We investigated the impact of sexual stimuli and the influence of sexual motivation on the performance in a dot-probe task and a line-orientation task in a large sample of males and females. All pictures (neutral, erotic) were rated on the dimensions of valence, arousal, disgust, and sexual arousal. Additionally, questionnaires measuring sexual interest/desire/motivation were employed. The ratings of the sexual stimuli point to a successful picture selection because sexual arousal did not differ between the sexes. The stimuli were equally arousing for men and women. Higher scores in the employed questionnaires measuring sexual interest/desire/motivation led to higher sexual arousal ratings of the sex pictures. Attentional bias towards sex pictures was observed in both experimental tasks. The attentional biases measured by the dot-probe and the line-orientation task were moderately intercorrelated suggesting attentional bias as a possible marker for a sex-attention trait. Finally, only the sexual sensation seeking score correlated with the attentional biases of the two tasks. Future research is needed to increase the predictive power of these indirect measures of sexual interest.

Sexual Sensation Seeking in Spanish Young Men and Women With Different Sexual Orientations

This study analyzes the relation of sexual orientation and gender to sexual sensation seeking. Participants were 382 individuals (200 men, 182 women) between 17 and 29 years old who completed the Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale. Of the 382 participants, 52.46% self-reported heterosexual orientation, and 47.64% self-reported homosexual orientation. The results showed differences with Sexual Sensation Seeking being more frequent among heterosexuals and men. There were no differences between heterosexual and homosexual men. Heterosexual women had higher sexual sensation seeking scores than did homosexual women. These results and their possible implications for the effective development of prevention and intervention programs in affective-sexual education are discussed.

Sensation Seeking and Cocaine Dependence in Adults With Reported Childhood ADHD

Objective: To compare measures of sensation seeking in a clinical group of cocaine-dependent (CD) patients with and without a history of probable childhood ADHD and in non-cocaine-dependent (NCD) healthy volunteers. Method: Patients (n = 75; 42 with and 33 without probable childhood ADHD) and comparisons (n = 84) were assessed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies, the Wender Utah Rating Scale for childhood ADHD, and the Zuckerman Seeking Sensation Scale. Results: We found significantly higher prevalence rates of probable childhood ADHD in CD versus NCD (p < .001). The mean total scores of sensation seeking were significantly higher in CD versus NCD participants (p < .001) as well as in CD patients with versus those without a probable history of childhood ADHD (p < .001). Conclusion: Our study sets the basis for longitudinal investigation assessing whether the persistence of high level of sensation seeking in adults with childhood ADHD contributes to the transition to cocaine dependence.

The Prosocial and Aggressive Driving Inventory (PADI): A self-report measure of safe and unsafe driving behaviors

Surveys of 1217 undergraduate students supported the reliability (inter-item and test–retest) and validity of the Prosocial and Aggressive Driving Inventory (PADI). Principal component analyses on the PADI items yielded two scales: Prosocial Driving (17 items) and Aggressive Driving (12 items). Prosocial Driving was associated with fewer reported traffic accidents and violations, with participants who were older and female, and with lower Boredom Susceptibility and Hostility scores, and higher scores on Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness, and Neuroticism. Aggressive Driving was associated with more frequent traffic violations, with female participants, and with higher scores on Competitiveness, Sensation Seeking, Hostility, and Extraversion, and lower scores on Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness. The theoretical and practical implications of the PADI's dual focus on safe and unsafe driving are discussed.

Sensation seeking, parental bond, and risky driving in adolescence: Some relationships, matter more to girls than boys

The present study examined the relationships between a supportive parental bond, sensation seeking, and risky driving, with a focus on the role of mediation. The sample comprised 339 participants (143 males and 196 females), aged from 16 to 20years, living in northern Italy. Mediation models were used to assess the direct and indirect effects of the parental bond on risky driving among adolescents through assessment of adolescents’ sensation seeking. These models were examined first for the total sample and subsequently for males and females separately. For the relationships between the parental bond and adolescent’s risky driving a partial mediation was supported for females as intensity and total sensation seeking score were entered as mediator variables. On the contrary, results for males indicated that the parental bond was neither directly nor indirectly associated with risky driving. Gender differences are discussed on the basis of the different cultural and parental socialisation processes that operate for male and female.

The severity of attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms and its relationship with lifetime substance use and psychological variables among 10th grade students in Istanbul

AimThe aim of this study was to determine the severity of attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms (ADHS) and related psychological and behavioral variables among 10th grade students in Istanbul/Turkey. MethodsCross-sectional online self-report survey conducted in 45 schools in 15 districts Istanbul. The questionnaire included sections about demographic data and use of substances including tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Also ADHS, depression, anxiety, anger and sensation seeking subscales of Psychological Screening Test for Adolescents (PSTA) were used. The analyses were conducted based on the 4938 subjects. ResultsMean ADHS score was higher in females and among those with a lifetime use of tobacco, alcohol and drug, and having self-harming behavior and suicidal thoughts. ADHS score was correlated with depression, anxiety, anger and sensation seeking scores. In univariate covariance analysis (ANCOVA); depression, anxiety, anger, sensation seeking, lifetime alcohol use and suicidal thoughts predicted the severity of ADHS. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that, since ADHS is associated with depression, anxiety, anger, sensation seeking, lifetime alcohol use and suicidal thoughts among 10th grade students, clinicians should screen suicidality and comorbid psychiatric symptoms routinely in adolescents with ADHS.

Real or Hypothetical Monetary Rewards Modulates Risk Taking Behavior

Understanding human risk taking and decision making behavior poses a major challenge for psychological and economical research during the last decades. Although real or hypothetical monetary rewards are commonly used as reinforcers in previous studies, it remains controversial whether real and hypothetical rewards have the same effects to motivate risk taking and decision making behavior. The recently developed balloon analogue risk task (BART) is a laboratory-based risk taking paradigm and offers an ecologically valid model for objective measurement of risk taking propensity and behavior. In the present study, the authors used the BART paradigm in two experiments to compare the effects of real and hypothetical monetary rewards on risk taking behavior. We predicted that compared with hypothetical monetary reward, real monetary rewards will show stronger impacts on the risk taking behavior during the BART task. In Experiment 1, forty-four healthy young adults completed both real money and hypothetical monetary versions of the BART task, in which they were required to sequentially inflate a virtual balloon that can either grow larger or explode. The order of two tasks was counter-balanced between subjects. Paired t-tests and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to compare the effects of real and hypothetical monetary rewards on the BART risk taking behavior, including the mean adjusted number of balloon inflations, the number of balloon explosions, and the number of balloon inflations after positive or negative feedbacks. Experiment 2 added a variable of reward magnitude and used a 2 (authenticity: real, hypothetical) × 2 (magnitude: small, large) factorial design. Thirty healthy young adults completed the experiment 2. The results from Experiment 1 showed that during the real monetary reward BART condition, subjects stopped inflating balloons earlier and were more risk averse for the current balloon trial if they lost the last balloon (i.e., the balloon exploded). This result suggests a significant learning effect from the negative feedback of real monetary reward. However, no such effect was observed for the BART condition with the hypothetical monetary reward. The results from Experiment 2 replicated the findings from Experiment 1 and revealed significant main effects of both reward authenticity and magnitude on risk taking propensity and behavior. Specifically, subjects were more risk averse during the BART condition with large real monetary reward compared with small real monetary reward. However, no differences were found between large and small hypothetical rewards. In addition, subjects were more risk averse for large real monetary reward comparing with hypothetical monetary reward, while no differences were found between small real and hypothetical monetary rewards. Finally, the effect of reward magnitude on risk taking was significant only in subjects with low sensation-seeking scores, whereas subjects with high sensation-seeking scores were insensitive to variation in reward magnitude. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that real and hypothetical monetary rewards modulate risk taking behavior during the BART task in a different way. The findings could be explained by the regret theory and/or the equate-to-differentiate model of risky decision making. Our results suggest that real and hypothetical monetary rewards may have different external validity, which will inform the utility of real and hypothetical rewards in future studies.

Dopamine Modulates Risk-Taking as a Function of Baseline Sensation-Seeking Trait

Trait sensation-seeking, defined as a need for varied, complex, and intense sensations, represents a relatively underexplored hedonic drive in human behavioral neuroscience research. It is related to increased risk for a range of behaviors including substance use, gambling, and risky sexual practice. Individual differences in self-reported sensation-seeking have been linked to brain dopamine function, particularly at D2-like receptors, but so far no causal evidence exists for a role of dopamine in sensation-seeking behavior in humans. Here, we investigated the effects of the selective D2/D3 agonist cabergoline on performance of a probabilistic risky choice task in healthy humans using a sensitive within-subject, placebo-controlled design. Cabergoline significantly influenced the way participants combined different explicit signals regarding probability and loss when choosing between response options associated with uncertain outcomes. Importantly, these effects were strongly dependent on baseline sensation-seeking score. Overall, cabergoline increased sensitivity of choice to information about probability of winning; while decreasing discrimination according to magnitude of potential losses associated with different options. The largest effects of the drug were observed in participants with lower sensation-seeking scores. These findings provide evidence that risk-taking behavior in humans can be directly manipulated by a dopaminergic drug, but that the effectiveness of such a manipulation depends on baseline differences in sensation-seeking trait. This emphasizes the importance of considering individual differences when investigating manipulation of risky decision-making, and may have relevance for the development of pharmacotherapies for disorders involving excessive risk-taking in humans, such as pathological gambling.

Pubertal development, personality, and substance use: a 10-year longitudinal study from childhood to adolescence.

Most research linking early pubertal development to substance use has focused on the effects of pubertal timing (age at which a certain stage of pubertal development is reached or pubertal status at a particular age--related to the maturation disparity hypothesis), but little research has focused on pubertal tempo (rate of growth through pubertal stages--related to the maturation compression hypothesis). However, both timing and tempo have not only been identified as important components of pubertal development, with different predictors, but have also been shown to be independently associated with other adolescent psychopathologies. Using latent growth-curve modeling, this study examined how pubertal status at age 12 and pubertal tempo (between 11 and 13 years) related to substance use from 15 to 16 years in boys from low socioeconomic backgrounds (N = 871). Results showed that both pubertal status at age 12 and tempo were significant predictors of increased levels of substance use and problems in mid to late adolescence. In an attempt to identify mechanisms that may explain the association between pubertal development and substance use it was found that sensation seeking partially mediated the association between pubertal status at age 12 and substance use behaviors. Impulse control was found to moderate the association sensation seeking had with marijuana use frequency, with high sensation-seeking scores predicting higher marijuana use frequency only at low levels of impulse control. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple sources of individual variability in the pubertal development of boys and provide support for both the maturational disparity and compression hypotheses.

Correlates of Self-Efficacy for Condom Use Among Male Clients of Female Sex Workers in Tijuana, Mexico

Male clients of female sex workers (FSWs) in Tijuana, Mexico engage in high levels of unprotected sex. While behavioral change theories posit that self-efficacy predicts condom use, correlates of self-efficacy for condom use remain largely unstudied. We examined these correlates among male clients of FSWs in Tijuana. Eligible male clients were at least 18 years of age, HIV-negative, lived in Tijuana or San Diego, reported unprotected sex with a Tijuana FSW at least once in the past 4 months, and agreed to be treated for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire including demographics, substance use, psychosocial and psychosexual characteristics (e.g., outcome expectancies for negotiation of safer sex, social support, and sexual sensation seeking), and sexual behaviors. Participants also underwent HIV/STI testing. A stepwise hierarchical multiple regression analysis identified correlates of self-efficacy for condom use. Of 393 male clients, median age was 37 years. Participants were mostly Spanish-speaking and employed. Factors independently associated with higher self-efficacy for condom use were higher positive outcome expectancies for negotiation of safer sex, lower sexual sensation seeking scores, and higher social support scores. Both psychosocial and psychosexual factors may influence self-efficacy for condom use among male clients of FSWs. These factors represent central constructs in sociocognitive models that explain behavioral change and could be intervention targets for improving self-efficacy for condom use and, ultimately, safer sex behavior.