Adolescents’ Beliefs About Sex: The Moderating Effects of Peer Attitudes

Abstract

Peer beliefs and attitudes play a prominent role in adolescent behaviors. Various curricula have been developed to teach students about sexual health from a skills-based perspective with successful, lasting effects. This study examined how adolescents’ expectancies for success in and values held for a sexual health curriculum are related to their attitudes toward waiting to have sex, attitudes toward using a condom, self-efficacy in negotiating condom use, self-efficacy in refusal skills, and self-efficacy in navigating tricky situations, depending on their perceptions of their peers’ attitudes. Results indicate that perceived peer attitudes toward waiting to have sex were a significant moderator, more so than peer attitudes about condom use. Additionally, results suggest that sex plays a role in students’ sexual health beliefs and self-efficacies. Future work should examine further explanatory paths and influences such as caregivers.