Skip to main content
Log in

Roleplayed Safer Sex Skills of Heterosexual College Students Influenced by Both Personal and Partner Factors

  • Published:
AIDS and Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite possessing knowledge regarding HIV transmission, many heterosexual college students engage in unprotected sex, partly because they lack necessary skills. The current study examined the assessment of safer sex skills, using roleplays. One hundred and fourteen undergraduates completed self-ratings of skills and participated in two written roleplays. Forty-one of them also participated in two videotaped roleplays. Results showed that students with different safer sex negotiation styles—assertive, aggressive, or compliant—used different persuasive arguments. Also, students used different arguments to persuade hypothetical relationship partners to engage in safer sex than they used with hypothetical one-night-stand partners. Finally, there was agreement across skills assessment methods—self-ratings, written roleplay ratings, and video roleplay ratings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Aldenderfer, M. S., and Blashfield, R. K. (1984). Cluster analysis: Vol. 44. Quantitative applications in the social sciences. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellack, A. S., Morrison, R. L., Mueser, K. T., Wade, J. H., and Sayers, S. L. (1990). Role play for assessing the social competence of psychiatric patients. Psychological Assessment, 2, 248–255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1996). HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 8(2).

  • Edgar, T., Freimuth, V. S., Hammond, S. L., McDonald, D. A., and Fink, E. L. (1992). Strategic sexual communication: Condom use resistance and response. Health Communication, 4, 83–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, J. D., Fisher, W. A., Williams, S. S., and Malloy, T. E. (1994). Empirical tests of an Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model of AIDS preventive behavior. Health Psychology, 13, 238–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franzini, L. R., Sideman, L. M., Dexter, K. E., and Elder, J. P. (1990). Promoting AIDS risk reduction via behavioral training. AIDS Education and Prevention, 2, 313–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gayle, H. D., Keeling, R. P., Garcia-Tunon, M., Kilbourne, B. W., Narkunas, J. P., Ingram, F. R., Rogers, M. F., and Curran, J. W. (1990). Prevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus among college students. New England Journal of Medicine, 323, 1538–1541.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, J. A., Murphy, D. A., Washington, C. D., Wilson, T. S., Koob, J. J., Davis, D. R., Ledezma, G., and Davantes, B. (1994). The effects of HIV/AIDS intervention groups for high-risk women in urban clinics. American Journal of Public Health, 84, 1918–1922.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, J. A., St. Lawrence, J. S., Betts, R., Brasfield, T. L., and Hood, H. V. (1990). A skills-training group intervention model to assist persons in reducing risk behaviors for HIV infection. AIDS Education and Prevention, 2, 24–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, J. A., St. Lawrence, J. S., Hood, H. V., and Brasfield, T. L. (1989). Behavioral intervention to reduce AIDS risk activities. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 60–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kipke, M. D., Boyer, C., and Hein, K. (1993). An evaluation of an AIDS Risk Reduction Education and Skills Training (ARREST) program. Journal of Adolescent Health, 14, 533–539.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maticka-Tyndale, E. (1991). Sexual scripts and AIDS prevention: Variations in adherence to safer-sex guidelines by heterosexual adolescents. Journal of Sex Research, 28, 45–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCormack, A. S., Anderton, J., and Barbieri, T. (1993). Gender, HIV awareness, and prevention among college students. College Student Journal, 27, 514–524.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newsom, M. A., Williams, S. S., Semanchuk, L. T., and Zanatta, L. M. (1997, August). Development of instruments for safer sex self-efficacy and skills. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago.

  • O'Leary, A., Goodhart, F., Jemmott, L. S., and Boccher-Lattimore, D. (1992). Predictors of safer sexual behavior on the college campus: A social cognitive theory analysis. Journal of American College Health, 40, 254–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schilling, R. F., El-Bassel, N., Schinke, S. P., Gordon, K., and Nichols, S. (1991). Building skills of recovering women drug users to reduce heterosexual AIDS transmission. Public Health Reports, 106, 297–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheehan, E. P. (1991). University students' response to AIDS: A review of research with recommendations for education. College Student Journal, 25, 417–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sikkema, K. J., Winett, R. A., and Lombard, D. N. (1995). Development and evaluation of an HIV-risk reduction program for female college students. AIDS Education and Prevention, 7, 145–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simkins, L. (1995). Risk of HIV transmission in sexual behaviors of college students. Psychological Reports, 76, 787–799.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. Lawrence, J. S., Jefferson, K. W., Alleyne, E., and Brasfield, T. L. (1995). Comparison of education versus behavioral skills training interventions in lowering sexual HIV-risk behavior of substance-dependent adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 154–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, S. S., Doyle, T. M., Pittman, L. D., Covell, N. H., Weiss, L. H., Fisher, J. D., and Fisher, W. A. (1996, August). Safer sex skills influenced by both personal and partner factors. In C. R. Agnew (Chair), Social psychological research on safer sex attitudes. Paper session conducted at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto.

  • Williams, S. S., Kimble, D. L., Covell, N. H., Weiss, L. H., Newton, K. J., Fisher, J. D., and Fisher, W. A. (1992). College students use implicit personality theory instead of safer sex. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22, 921–933.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yesmont, G. A. (1992). The relationship of assertiveness to college students' safer sex behaviors. Adolescence, 27, 253–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zetes, L. M., Newsom, M. A., Williams, S. S., Doyle, T. M., Semanchuk, L. T., and Buckland, M. M. (1995, June–July). The development of a social-psychological AIDS-preventive intervention for heterosexual women. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Society, New York.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sunyna S. Williams.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Williams, S.S., Doyle, T.M., Pittman, L.D. et al. Roleplayed Safer Sex Skills of Heterosexual College Students Influenced by Both Personal and Partner Factors. AIDS Behav 2, 177–187 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022155100116

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022155100116

Navigation