Reducing Adolescent Sexual Risk: A Theoretical - ETR Associates

that it is possible to improve these attitudes, but thatnot all curricula do so.What values, attitudes and beliefs should beencouraged?In the United States, teenage sexual behavior is avery divisive topic. That is, different people hold verydifferent values about the conditions under whichyoung people should have sex. Some believe thatpeople should only have sex after they are married;others believe they should only have sex when theyhave a mature love; others believe it is acceptable foryoung people to have sex provided it is informed,consensual, non-exploitative, honest and protectedagainst disease and unintended pregnancy (NationalGuidelines Task Force 2004). These beliefs can bequite strong and are influenced by a variety of factorsincluding family values, participation in communitiesof faith, instruction from school and otherprograms, and so on.Many widely held values could be applied to decisionsabout whether or not to have sex (e.g., honesty,trust, respect, safety, personal responsibility andvirginity until marriage). However, two values—respect for oneself and respect for others—wereidentified as among the most important and themost widely accepted by a large group of individualsrepresenting diverse views (Center for Excellence forSexual Health 2008).Although some people oppose sex outside of marriageand therefore also oppose the encouragementof condom or contraceptive use among teens who arenot married, there is general consensus in our societythat young people should be encouraged to usecondoms and other forms of contraception if they dohave sex. This means that positive attitudes towardscondoms and other forms of protection should beincreased.In addition to general attitudes, values and beliefsabout having sex and using condoms and contraception,interventions may need to address morespecific attitudes, values and beliefs about having sexand using condoms/contraception. Many examplesare included in Table 5-4 (see page 67).How do we improve values, attitudes andbeliefs toward abstinence, minimizing partners,being faithful and using condoms and othercontraceptives?Given the theories above about how to changeattitudes and values, the following general principlesshould be built into activities to improve attitudes,values and beliefs regarding sexual and condom/contraceptivebehavior:1. Identify specific attitudes, values and beliefs thatneed to be improved (e.g., by conducting focusgroups with youth, interviewing practitionerswho work with youth similar to those you aretargeting and reviewing research results fromsimilar youth). Try to understand the source orbasis of these attitudes and values.2. Make sure the environment is conducive to thethoughtful consideration of new information(e.g., minimize distractions).3. Design activities to produce thoughtful criticalexamination of new arguments and messages bythe students (e.g., by using a variety of activitiessuch as short lectures, student summariesof pamphlets or websites, knowledge contests,simulations of important points, worksheets tohave them apply concepts to their own lives, androleplaying to practice and verbalize concepts).4. Design activities so that students are more ableand motivated to thoughtfully consider newarguments (e.g., involve youth in a variety ofinteractive activities that they can understand).5. Include strong arguments in the messages; besure to pilot test to see which arguments havethe strongest appeal and impact.6. Make arguments that are new, strong and personallyrelevant to the students.7. Combine appropriate use of fear with a clearmessage about how to avoid the undesirableoutcomes.8. Associate desirable qualities in people as perceivedby the students with desired attitudes orbehaviors.Chapter 5 Addressing Attitudes, Values and Beliefs 63