The Impact of Age on Safe-Sex Knowledge, Cognitive Variables and Safe Sex Practices in HIV at-Risk Portuguese Women

¹Department of Psychology, Portuguese Catholic University, Portugal.

²Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics and Department of Psychology, University of Houston, USA.

Corresponding Author: Eleonora CV Costa, Department of Psychology, Portuguese Catholic University, the School Square, 1-4710-297 Braga, Portugal, Tel: (+351) 253206100; E-Mail: [email protected]

Received Date: 25 Feb 2016  
Accepted Date: 09 Mar 2016   
Published Date: 24 Mar 2016

Copyright ©2016 Costa ECV

Citation: Costa ECV, Mclntyre T and Trovisqueira. (2016). The Impact of Age on Safe-Sex Knowledge, Cognitive Variables and Safe Sex Practices in HIV at-Risk Portuguese Women. Mathews J HIV AIDS. 1(1): 004.

ABSTRACT

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been a major concern worldwide and AIDS/HIV incidence rates show a clear trend of increasing risk for women in Portugal. Age is an important variable to understand sexual risk behavior and the psychosocial and behavioral factors, which are commonly associated with safe sex. This study examined both direct effects of age on cognitive variables and safe sex practices, as well as moderator effects of age in the relationship between cognitive predictors and behavioral variables in 177 young Portuguese women at risk for HIV, 16-26 years of age. Participants were administered several self-report questionnaires that assessed AIDS-related knowledge, AIDS risk perceptions, barriers against safe sex behaviors, self-efficacy condom negotiation, general perceived self-efficacy, and sexual behavior. Age was treated dichotomously, with 105 women making up the younger group (= 20 years old) and 72 women the older cohort (21 or older). Results showed that younger women reported higher concern about AIDS, more frequent condom use and abstinence, and older women presented more HIV related-knowledge and higher frequency of sex in the past six months. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that: (1) barriers against safer sex add significantly to explain safe sex preparatory practices variances above and beyond age, knowledge, and self-efficacy: (2) condom use is more closely related to younger women and women with less lack of risk perception: (3) age was a significant predictor for condom use but not for safe sex preparatory practices: (4) age moderator effects added little to the regression equations. The findings indicate that proper condom use and safe sex preparatory practices can be promoted through age-group-targeted intervention programs guided by the predictor variables identified here.

KEYWORDS

Age; Safe-sex Behaviors; AIDS Knowledge; Barriers against Safe Sex; Self-efficacy.