Condom use among heterosexual young men : an examination of volitional and a stage-based intervention

Tese de doutoramento, Psicologia (Psicologia da Educação), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Psicologia, 2015Consistent condom use among sexually active individuals, particularly young adults, is of paramount importance for sexual health. The central aim of this dissertation was to identify the relevant mechanism by which key psychological antecedents affect male condom use, in addition to contributing to the design of educational interventions and evaluating their effectiveness in the promotion of this behaviour. Three on-screen studies were conducted with samples of heterosexual young men, assessed by a self-report questionnaire, and which are described in three chapters. The theoretical underpinning of the hypotheses was based on the Health Action Process Approach (Schwarzer, 2008), and on the potential of computer-delivered interventions to provide tailored health education treatment to boost condom use. The study described in Chapter 2 (N = 150) provided confirmation of the mediating role of preparatory behaviours as a volitional factor between intention and condom use within the HAPA framework. The study described in Chapter 3 (N = 203) demonstrated the contribution of preparatory behaviours, added to the set of volitional variables of the HAPA model (volitional self-efficacy, action planning and coping planning). It particularly revealed how these variables sequentially mediated the relationship between intention and condom use, serving to bridge the intention-behaviour gap, and further revealing that preparatory behaviours were the more proximal volitional predictors of condom use. Chapter 4 (N = 159) highlighted the proof that a brief computer intervention would be useful in the promotion of condom use adapted to the stages of change, envisioned by the HAPA, both for individuals with little motivation and those already intending to use condoms. The contributions support the use of psychological theories for the development of health education interventions by revealing the mechanisms involved in condom use, placing the focus on the planning-behaviour gap