Table 3.
Adolescent outcome measures
| Construct | # items | Response choices | Sample item | α |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predictors of sexual behavior | ||||
| Perceived parental permissiveness | 5 | 4-pt scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) | My parent would disapprove of my having sex at this time in my life. | 0.76 |
| Attitudes toward teen sexa | 4 | 4-pt scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) | I think it is OK for teens to be sexually active. | 0.67 |
| Normative beliefs about teen sex | 1 | Open-ended percentage (0% to 100%) | What percentage of teens are having sex? [0% (no teens) to 100% (all teens)] | -- |
| Self-efficacy to abstain from sexb | 5 | 4-pt scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) | I could say no to someone who is pressuring me to have sex. | 0.87 |
| Willingness to hook-upc | 1 | 4-pt scale (Very unwilling to Very willing) | Suppose you were with a boy/girlfriend. S/he wants to hook-up, but you are not sure that you want to. In this situation, how willing would you be to go ahead and hook-up anyway? | -- |
| Intentions to have sexd | 1 | 4-pt scale (Not likely at all to Very likely) | How likely is it that you will have any type of sexual contact with another person (oral sex, anal sex, vaginal sex, or genital-to-genital contact) in the next year? | -- |
| Predictors of safe sexual behavior | ||||
| Attitudes toward sexual communicationb | 5 | 4-pt scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) | Before deciding to have sex, I believe teens should talk with their parents or another trusted adult. | 0.89 |
| Intentions to communicate with a medical professionale | 1 | 4-pt scale (Not at all likely to Very likely) | Before deciding to have sex, how likely would you be to talk to your Doctor or other medical professional? | -- |
| Attitudes toward teen contraception usea | 4 | 4-pt scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) | I think condoms should always be used if a teen has sex. | 0.86 |
| Self-efficacy to use contraceptionb | 4 | 4-pt scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) | If I wanted to, I could get condoms or another form of contraception. | 0.81 |
| Willingness to have unprotected sexc | 1 | 4-pt scale (Very unwilling to Very willing) | Suppose you were with a boyfriend/girlfriend. He/she wants to have sex, but neither of you have any form of protection. In this situation, how willing would you be to go ahead and have sex anyway? | -- |
| Sexual behaviors | ||||
| Sexual activity (oral, anal, or vaginal sex) | 3 | Yes, No, Not sure | Have you ever had oral sex? | -- |
| Contraception/protection use | 3 | Yes, No, Don’t know | Did you use a condom and/or dental dam the last time you had oral sex? |
-- |
| Media-related outcomes | ||||
| Teen risky online behaviorsf | 8 | 5-pt scale (Never to Always) | How often have you looked for sexual stuff online? | 0.77 |
| Perceived realismg, h | 6 | 4-pt scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) | Teens in the media do things that average teens do. | 0.83 |
| Media skepticismg | 5 | 4-pt scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) | Media do not tell the whole truth about relationships. | 0.73 |
| Media message completeness | 1 | 5-pt scale (Incomplete to Complete) | How complete is the information in this advertisement? | -- |
a
adapted from Basen-Engquist et al. (1999)
b
adapted from Soet, Dudley, and Dilorio (1999)
c
adapted from Gibbons, Gerrard, Blanton, and Russell (1998)
d
adapted from L’Engle, Brown, and Kenneavy (2006)
e
adapted from Scull, Kupersmidt, Malik, and Morgan-Lopez (2018)
f
adapted from Byrne, Katz, Lee, Linz, and McIlrath (2014)
g
adapted from Scull et al. (2014)
h
adapted from Pinkleton et al. (2008)