How Self-Efficacy and Agency Influence Risky Sexual Behavior among Adolescents in Northern Uganda
<b>Background:</b> Risky sexual behaviors remain common among adolescents regardless of those with comprehensive knowledge of safer sex practices. Self-efficacy has been shown to have a positive relationship with safer sex practices. Thus, investigating self-efficacy, and enhancing it to...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Book |
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MDPI AG,
2023-07-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | <b>Background:</b> Risky sexual behaviors remain common among adolescents regardless of those with comprehensive knowledge of safer sex practices. Self-efficacy has been shown to have a positive relationship with safer sex practices. Thus, investigating self-efficacy, and enhancing it to agency is important. The current study explores the predictors of self-efficacy for avoiding risky sexual behaviors and what limits agency among sexually active adolescents (15-19 years) in Northern Uganda. <b>Methods:</b> The study consisted of a sub-sample of 396 sexually active adolescents (145 in school, 251 out of school) interviewed as part of a household survey for the program on Advancing Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in Northern Uganda. Poisson and Poisson regression models with survey weights were implemented in Stata. <b>Results:</b> A total of 94% of male and 64% of female adolescents reported self-efficacy to avoid unsafe sex, including using condoms and avoiding multiple sexual partnerships or transactional sex. At multivariable analysis, a higher proportion of adolescents who listened to a radio or television program about sexual and reproductive health within the past 12 months had self-efficacy as compared to others (PR = 1.13, <i>p</i>-value = 0.002). Similarly, higher proportions of adolescents who knew all the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights (PR = 1.33, <i>p</i>-value = 0.007) and who had comprehensive knowledge about pregnancy, prevention of sexual transmission infections, and sources of SRH services (PR = 1.24, <i>p</i>-value = 0.013) had self-efficacy as compared to others. However, among those who reported self-efficacy, 42% of the girls and 53% of the boys could not uphold their self-efficacy in actual sexual encounters in the past 12 months. Partner's refusal or girls' fear to ask their sexual partner to use a condom were commonly cited reasons. Alcohol consumption was associated with failure to act on one's self-efficacy (RR = 0.74, <i>p</i>-value = 0.048). <b>Conclusions:</b> Programs should target self-efficacy beliefs and attempt to enhance them into agency by increasing positive and decreasing negative expectations associated with risky sexual behavior. |
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| Item Description: | 10.3390/adolescents3030028 2673-7051 |