TABLE 1—
Psychosocial Outcomes: Scales and Indexes With Basic Psychometric Properties, Effectiveness of It’s Your Game…Keep It Real, South Carolina, 2011–2014
| Constructa | No. Items | Example Item | Response Format | αb |
| Attitudes and beliefs | ||||
| General beliefs about waiting to have sex | 3 | I believe it is okay for people my age to have sexual intercourse with a steady boyfriend or girlfriend. | 4-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree) | 0.82 |
| Beliefs about waiting until marriage to have sex | 3 | It is important to me to get married before having sexual intercourse. | 4-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree) | 0.76 |
| Number of reasons to not have sex | 10 | Here are some reasons for not having sexual intercourse. Why would you choose NOT to have sexual intercourse at your age? Example reason: I could feel guilty afterward. | Yes = 1, no = 0; count of yes responses | NA |
| Number of reasons to have sex | 9 | Here are some reasons for having sexual intercourse. Why would you choose to have sexual intercourse at this age? Example reason: to be popular. | Yes = 1, no = 0; count of yes responses | NA |
| General beliefs about condoms | 3 | I believe condoms should always be used if a person my age has sexual intercourse. | 4-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree) | 0.87 |
| Normative beliefs | ||||
| Perceived friends’ beliefs about waiting to have sex | 3 | Most of my friends believe it is okay for people my age to have sexual intercourse with a steady boyfriend or girlfriend. | 4-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree) | 0.85 |
| Perceived friends’ beliefs about condoms | 3 | Most of my friends believe condoms should always be used if a person my age has sexual intercourse. | 4-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree) | 0.88 |
| Perception of number of friends that have a boyfriend or girlfriend | 1 | How many of your friends have a boyfriend or girlfriend? | 5-point scale (1 = none, 5 = all) | NA |
| Perception of number of friends that have had sex | 1 | How many of your friends have had sexual intercourse? | 5-point scale (1 = none, 5 = all) | NA |
| Perception of number of peers that have had sex | 1 | Most teens my age are having sexual intercourse. | 4-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree) | NA |
| Knowledge | ||||
| General condom knowledge | 6 | Do condoms help a person keep from getting pregnant? | Yes, no, not sure; count of number correct | NA |
| General HIV/STI knowledge | 3 | Some STDs put you at higher risk of getting infected with HIV. | True, false, not sure; count of number correct | NA |
| Knowledge of signs and symptoms of STIs | 6 | Mark if you think the following are common signs of having an STD (not including HIV). A headache. | Yes, no; count of number correct | NA |
| Perceived self-efficacy | ||||
| To refrain from having sex | 6 | Imagine you are alone with someone you like very much. Could you stop them if they wanted to touch your private parts below the waist, but you did not want them to? | 4-point scale (1 = No, I definitely could not stop them, 4 = Yes, I could definitely stop them) | 0.85 |
| To negotiate the use of condoms with a partner | 2 | Imagine that you and your boyfriend or girlfriend have been having sexual intercourse but have not used condoms. You really want to start using condoms. How sure are you that you could tell your partner you want to start using condoms? | 4-point scale (1 = I definitely could not, 4 = I definitely could) | 0.75 |
| To obtain and correctly use condoms | 3 | If you decided to have sexual intercourse, how sure are you that you could have a condom with you when you needed it? | 4-point scale (1 = I definitely could not, 4 = I definitely could) | 0.64 |
| Personal limits | ||||
| Know how far I’d go sexually and can communicate it to a partner | 1 | Look at the sentences below. Mark which one best matches how you feel about what you would do or not do sexually. | 4-point scale (1 = I have never really thought about how far I will go sexually, 4 = I know how far I would go sexually and I could tell a partner what I would do or not do) | NA |
| Know what I think about condom use and can communicate it to a partner | 1 | Look at the sentences below. Mark which one best matches how you feel about using condoms if you have sexual intercourse. | 4-point scale (1 = I have never really thought about using condoms, 4 = I know whether I would use condoms and I could tell my partner) | NA |
| Intentions | ||||
| To have sex in the next year if have the chance | 1 | Do you intend to have sexual intercourse in the next year, if you have the chance? | 4-point scale (1 = yes, definitely, 4 = no, definitely not) | NA |
| To remain abstinent until the end of high school | 1 | Do you intend to be sexually abstinent (that is, not have sexual intercourse) from now until the end of high school? | 4-point scale (1 = yes, definitely, 4 = no, definitely not) | NA |
| To remain abstinent until marriage | 1 | Do you intend to be sexually abstinent (that is, not have sexual intercourse) from now until marriage? | 4-point scale (1 = yes, definitely, 4 = no, definitely not) | NA |
| To use a condom if have sex in the next year | 1 | If you have sexual intercourse in the next year, do you intend to use (or have your partner use) a condom? | 4-point scale (1 = yes, definitely, 4 = no, definitely not) | NA |
| To use effective birth control if have sex in the next year | 1 | If you were to have sexual intercourse in the next year, do you intend to use (or have your partner use) any of these methods of birth control? [condoms, birth control pills, the shot (Depo-Provera), the patch, the ring (NuvaRing), IUD (Mirena or ParaGard), implant (IMPLANON)]? | 4-point scale (1 = yes, definitely, 4 = no, definitely not) | NA |
| To get tested for HIV/STI if think at risk | 2 | If you thought you were at risk for having HIV, would you go get tested for HIV? | Yes, no, not sure; count of yes responses | NA |
| Environmental factors | ||||
| Communication with parents about sex | 6 | How many times has your parent/guardian ever talked to you about HIV, AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases? | 3-point scale (1 = we’ve never talked about it, 3 = we’ve talked about it lots of times) | 0.82 |
| Exposure to risky situations | 5 | In the past 3 mo, how often have you invited a boyfriend or girlfriend to your home when an adult was not home? | 4-point scale (1 = never, 4 = 6 or more times) | 0.74 |
Note. IUD = intrauterine device; NA = not applicable; STD = sexually transmitted disease; STI = sexually transmitted infection.
a
The term “sex” means vaginal sex.
b
Cronbach’s α based on students’ baseline responses.