Predictors of condom use: Examining the impact of traditional male role attitudes among incarcerated male youth

As part of a federally funded HIV prevention project, this cross-sectional study examined the correlates of condom use among one-hundred and forty-four sexually active incarcerated male youth in two Midwestern U.S. cities. The theoretical model of this study incorporated concepts from the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and Gender Role Strain Theory (GRS) in effort to bridge the gap between traditional health behavior models and the broader social context of sexual behaviors. Participants completed a self-administered survey utilizing the audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) method and completed measures of peer norms, condom self-efficacy, condom attitudes, partner communication, and masculinity ideology. Empirical studies have supported the important role that traditional male role attitudes have in influencing sexual risk behaviors, but no known studies have examined this association among this high-risk population of adolescents. Although traditional male role attitudes were not directly related to condom use, they were indirectly related to condom use by way of partner communication. Traditional male role attitudes were, however, directly related to other sexual risk behaviors including number of sexual partners in the past 3 months, sexual initiation, and sexual intercourse with multiple partners. Correlates of consistent condom use with a girlfriend included positive peer norms, positive condom attitudes, and frequent partner communication and correlates of consistent condom use with a casual partner included positive condom attitudes and frequent partner communication. Additionally, the mediational effect of partner communication on the relationships between psychosocial variables (peer norms, condom attitudes, and condom self-efficacy) and condom use were tested and partially confirmed. These results support the findings from previous studies, which have examined the correlates of condom use among incarcerated male youth and highlight the important role male role attitudes have in influencing sexual risk behaviors. Implications for HIV programs among incarcerated male adolescents are discussed.