Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Brandy Benson

Abstract

AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS) is a disease that claims lives on a global scale, and correct condom use reduces the likelihood of infection by 10 to 20 times. African-American males are at increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS compared to the general population. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship between self-efficacy, susceptibility, and condom use in Californian African-American men using the health belief model as a theoretical guide. One hundred and five African American men between the ages of 18 and 35 years were recruited through local barber shops, sports and recreation centers, churches, and social media websites. SurveyMonkey was used to administer the Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale as well as the Perceived Risk Scale, and to ask participants about their condom use. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to predict condom use from the constructs of perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy. The model was a significant predictor of condom use among African American men, improving prediction accuracy over the baseline model by 11.4%. Perceived risk did not make a significant contribution to the model; however, self-efficacy did make a significant contribution where a unit increase in condom self-efficacy scores was associated with 1.06 times increase in the likelihood of using condoms consistently. Condom usage may be more consistent among individuals who acknowledge a level of comfort and confidence with use for disease prevention. The findings of this study may be used to promote positive social change by highlighting the factors that promote condom use, and HIV/AIDS prevention, in this vulnerable population.

Download

Share

 
COinS