Title:
Examining the Health Belief Model and Intentions to use condoms in sexually exploited and trafficked women
Author:
Lindsay E. Smith
Thesis Advisor:
Heather Z. Lyons
Committee Member:
Matthew W. Kirkhart
Committee Member:
Amanda M. Thomas
Committee Member:
Jeffrey M. Lating
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2016
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
Current research on condom-use and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention has largely excluded survivors of sex trafficking and other groups of sexually exploited women, potentially because of the secretive and largely invisible nature of sex trafficking in the United States. The present study contributes to research on sex trafficking using the Health Belief Model (HBM) by collecting data on perceptions of severity, susceptibility, benefits and barriers related to condom use, and condom use self-efficacy as well as how these variables predict one's intention to use condoms. Over the course of three months, 52 self-identifying women aged 19 to 49 years (M = 26.80, SD = 5.70) were recruited through mid-Atlantic non-profit organizations, posters hung at community health agencies, word of mouth, and online forums for survivors of sexual exploitation. Using convenience and snowball sampling, participants were asked to complete an online survey powered by Qualtrics.com. Results of a multiple regression analysis to test the proportion of variance explained by perceived perceived severity of STIs, susceptibility to STIs, perceived benefits of using condoms, perceived barriers to using condoms, and condom use self-efficacy in intentions to use condoms indicated the five predictors explained 47% of the variance in intentions to use condoms (R2 = .48, F(5, 46) = 8.59, p .001). The present study further demonstrates the applicability of the HBM, even in marginalized populations. With this knowledge, it is possible to design interventions to meet the specific sexual health needs of sexually exploited women.
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Degree:
Master of Science
Level:
Master
Discipline:
Clinical Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
Use and Reproduction:
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Identifier:
SmithLE-16
