Barriers to Condom Use in Primary and Nonprimary Relationships among Hispanic STD Clinic Patients

Abstract

Educational programs to reduce AIDS and other STDs must provide participants with strategiesfor adopting safer sex practices that are both genderand culture-appropriate. These strategies include consistent condom use. We surveyed a random sample of Hispanic men and women seeking services at a public STD clinic in New York City (n = 283) and examined differences in patterns of attitudes, normative beliefs, and practices related to condom use with primary and nonprimary sex partners. Both men and women report that they are more likely to use condoms in nonprimary than primary relationships and that they perceivefewer barriers to doing so. In contrast, issues related to trust and social acceptability are more salient in primary relationships. Interventions to promote condom use among Hispanics must acknowledge the different psychosocial influences on condom use in different relationships and carefully target the specific attitudinal and behavioral changes desired.

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