| Learning Objective #1: Describe the role of trust, sexual imposition, and sensation seeking in young, urban women's HIV sexual risk behaviors | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Consider the research and counseling implications of high sensation seeking and sexual imposition for HIV sexual health promotion among young, urban women |
Objective. To explore trust, sexual imposition, and sensation seeking with young, urban women’s HIV sexual risk behaviors.
Design. Quantitative, cross sectional.
Population, Sample, Setting. The sample was 257 women, aged 18 to 29, in public housing, a public nutrition center, a public STD clinic, and a two year county community college in an urban HIV epicenter.
Variables. Dyadic trust, measured by the Dyadic Trust Scale (Larzelere & Huston, 1980), is a belief that the partner is benevolent and honest. Sexual imposition (Hoskins, 1988) is an expectation that a male partner’s sexual satisfaction is more important than women’s own feelings of ambivalence or imposition. Sensation seeking, measured by the Sensation Seeking Scale in Urban Women (Jones, 2002), is a culture appropriate version of Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale (1994). Sexual risk behavior, measured by the Women’s Relative Sexual Risk Scale (Jones, 2002), is unprotected sex with male partners women are unsure, or perceive to engage in HIV risk behaviors.
Methods. Surveys were conducted using audio computer assisted self-interview. Data were analyzed by hierarchical multiple regression.
Findings. The study variables contributed 19 % of the variance in sexual risk behaviors. Sexual imposition alone contributed 13%. Dyadic trust was a suppressor variable, not correlated with sexual risk behaviors. There effect of sensation seeking was small and significant.
Conclusions. Feeling sexually imposed is an important factor in sexual risk behaviors. Trust did not relate to unprotected sex. There was a mild tendency among high sensation seeking women to engage in sexual risk behaviors.
Implications. For young, urban women, trust does not appear to be an idealized heuristic about men. Sexual risk is an inessential aspect of sensation seeking involving adventure and not dangerous liaisons. More research into sexual pressure and tailoring sexual health promotion to high sensation seeking young, urban women is needed.
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