Correct Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale
Abstract
Consistent and correct male condom use has been noted as one effective method for preventing the transmission of HIV and reducing the risk of other STDs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Although a number of psychosocial constructs have been associated with condom use, a central construct, from a theoretical and an empirical perspective, has been condom use self-efficacy. Bandura (1994) defined self-efficacy as beliefs about one’s capabilities to produce designated levels of performance and suggested that self-efficacy largely determined how individuals feel, think, motivate themselves, and behave. Condom use self-efficacy, therefore, refers to an individual’s confidence in the ability to exert control over his or her motivation, behavior, and social environment to use condoms (Forsyth & Carey, 1998). A number of previous measures of self-efficacy assess knowledge, behavioral intentions, or attitudes, but not an individual’s perception about his or her ability to perform specific behaviors (e.g., Goldman & Harlow, 1993; Lux & Petosa, 1994; Schaalma, Kok, & Peters, 1993). Other measures of self-efficacy are limited by their conceptualization of self-efficacy as a stable trait across different contexts (e.g., St. Lawrence, Brasfield, Jefferson, Alleyne, & Shirley, 1994) as opposed to a more domain-specific behavior. Many researchers also have relied on a single- item measure of self-efficacy that may limit the precision of measurement (e.g., Wulfert & Wan, 1993). Therefore, a scale that measures individuals’ perceptions of their ability to perform behaviors specific to correct condom use would have utility in public health research.