Issues surrounding condoms – their use, effectiveness, or distribution – are some of the most controversial sex education topics in the United States. Studies show that 40% to 75% of adolescents did not use condoms during their last sexual encounter. These youth are putting themselves at risk for pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Why do youth give few reasons for not using condoms? Early adolescents may not be mature enough to identify reasons for not using condoms. The items they identified as barriers to condom use reflected concrete thinking and commonly heard messages – that condoms are inconvenient to use and that they diminish sexual pleasure. Also, this lack of condom use may reflect a lack of (a) a mature future orientation, (b) the ability to anticipate consequences and plan accordingly, and/or (c) a clearly developed sexual identity that involves the recognition that the individual may participate in sexual activities that require pre-planning in order to be safe. Finally, adolescents may tend to feel negatively about sex-related topics in general, and thus may have negative attitudes toward contraception.

More attention needs to be paid to designing pregnancy and STD prevention programs for adolescents based on their cognitive and emotional status. Until there is a greater understanding of why adolescents put themselves at risk by not using condoms, it will be difficult to design effective prevention programs. Without careful attention to their developmental needs, prevention programs for adolescents are in danger of being redundant, superfluous or irrelevant.

How effective are condoms?

There is a common belief that condoms are not effective for preventing pregnancy or diseases among youth. Research shows that:

Condoms are effective only when used consistently and correctly.

Using a condom is more than 10,000 times safer than not using a condom during sexual intercourse.

Condoms are 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy when used correctly.

The first-year pregnancy failure rate among typical condom users averages about 12 percent and includes pregnancies resulting from errors in condom use.

Studies of hundreds of couples show that consistent condom use is possible when sexual partners have the skills and motivation.

For more information check out: http://www.siecus.org/pubs/fact/fact0011.html

Sources:
Blinn, L. (1990). Journal of Adolescent Research, 206-221.
Blinn, L. M., & Pike, G. (1989). Adolescence, 24, 289-301.
Freimuth, V.S., Hammond, S.L., Edgar, T., McDonald, D.A., & Fink, E.L. (1992). Health Education Research, 7, 203-215.
Herz, E.J, & Reis, J.S. (1987). Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16, 361-377.
Morrison, D.M. (1985). Psychological Bulletin, 98, 538-568.
Reis, J. (1988). Journal of Early Adolescence, 8, 157-168.
Rosenthal, S.L., Biro, F.M., Succop, P.A., Baker, J.G., & Stanberry, L.R. (1994). Clinical Pediatrics, 33, 706-711.

This issue of Ups & Downs was contributed by Lynn Blinn Pike, Associate Professor of Outreach and Extension, University of Missouri. Ups & Downs is edited by Stephen T. Russell, Ph.D., Assistant Youth Development Cooperative Extension Specialist, University of California, Davis.