Promoting condom negotiation self-efficacy among young women in China: the effects of traditional sexual values and descriptive norms

Abstract

This study attempts to design effective messages to promote condom negotiation self-efficacy and safer sex intent among young women in China. An online experiment with 2 (descriptive norm: present versus absent) × 2 (traditional sexual value: high versus low) between-subjects factorial design was conducted on a purposive sample of 241 female Chinese college students. The results demonstrated that culturally tailored messages incorporating descriptive norms information on the popularity of condom negotiation can increase participants’ self-efficacy (F(1,237) = 9.01, partial η2 = 0.04, P = 0.003) but not safer sex intent (F(1,237) = 2.80, partial η2 = 0.01, P = 0.096). Participants with a lower level of traditional sexual values had similar levels of condom negotiation self-efficacy as those with a higher level of values: F(1,237) = 2.85, partial η2 = 0.01, P = 0.09. There were no significant interaction effects of traditional sexual value and descriptive norm on condom negotiation self-efficacy and safer sex intent. The findings contribute to the cultural sensitivity perspective in health education in an Eastern context and have implications for public health practitioners and policymakers.

The Impact of Online Media Development, and Information Dissemination on LGBTQ Marginalised People

“…The development of the internet and the popularity of electronic devices have made it possible for both powerful and vulnerable groups in the traditional social sense to enjoy the same power on online platforms [5]. Some scholars in China have now studied the mutual influence of internet media and LBGTQ people, such as Rouyi Zhang's 2022 journal New Media Empowerment under Homonormativity -A Study of Young Female LGBTQ's Self-Presentation in Social Media in China [6]. However, her study focuses on females, and a male homosexual perspective is equally relevant, which is one of the conceptions of this research topic.…”