Table 2.
Scale information and psychometrics for primary sexual health, secondary sexual health, and secondary media-related outcome variables.
| Outcomes | Scales | # Items | Sample Item | α | M | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Intentions | |||||
| to have sexa* | 3 | How likely is it that you will have sexual intercourse in the next year? | 0.90 | 1.65 | .73 | |
| to use contraception/protectionb | 3 | If you were to decide to have sex, how likely would you be to use a condom? | 0.78 | 3.35 | .66 | |
| for sexual communication with partnerb | 3 | If you were to decide to have sex, how likely would you be to talk with a partner about pregnancy? | 0.90 | 3.32 | .67 | |
| for sexual communication with parentb | 1 | If you were to decide to have sex, how likely would you be to talk with your parent(s) or another trusted adult? | -- | |||
| for sexual communication with doctorb | 1 | If you were to decide to have sex, how likely would you be to talk with a doctor or another medical professional? | -- | |||
| Secondary | Attitudes | |||||
| about teen sexual activityc | 4 | I believe it is OK for teens to be sexually active. | 0.59 | 1.91 | .55 | |
| about contraception/protection usec | 3 | I believe a condom or dental dam should be used if a teen has oral sex. | 0.69 | 3.35 | .59 | |
| about sexual communication with partnerd | 3 | Before deciding to have sex, I believe teens should talk to their partner about pregnancy. | 0.82 | 3.20 | .70 | |
| about sexual communication with parente | 1 | Before deciding to have sex, I believe teens should talk with their parent(s) or another trusted adult. | -- | |||
| about sexual communication with doctore | 1 | Before deciding to have sex, I believe teens should talk with a doctor or another medical professional. | -- | |||
| Self-Efficacy | ||||||
| for refusing sexf | 4 | I can say no to someone who is pressuring me to have sex. | 0.86 | 3.36 | .60 | |
| for contraception/protection usef | 4 | I could use a condom correctly or explain to my partner how to use a condom correctly. | 0.86 | 2.53 | .81 | |
| about sexual communication with partnerd | 4 | I could talk to any potential partner to make him/her understand why we should use condoms or contraception. | 0.90 | 3.17 | .61 | |
| about sexual communication with parentg | 1 | I could talk to my parent(s) or another trusted adult if I had a question or was concerned about sex. | -- | |||
| about sexual communication with doctorg | 1 | I could talk to a doctor or another medical professional if I had a question or was concerned about sex. | -- | |||
| Norms | ||||||
| about teen sexual activityc* | 3 | Most of my friends believe it is OK for teens to be sexually active. | 0.78 | 2.68 | .45 | |
| about contraception/protection usec | 3 | Most of my friends believe condoms should always be used if a teen has sex. | 0.85 | 3.23 | .63 | |
| about sexual communication with partnerf | 3 | Before deciding to have sex, most of my friends believe teens should talk with their partner about pregnancy. | 0.89 | 3.20 | .70 | |
| about sexual communication with parente | 1 | Before deciding to have sex, most of my friends believe teens should talk with their parent(s) or another trusted adult. | -- | |||
| about sexual communication with doctore | 1 | Before deciding to have sex, most of my friends believe teens should talk with a doctor or another medical professional. | -- | |||
| about dating violence acceptanceh* | 3 | It is OK for a person to hit their girlfriend/boyfriend if she/he did something to make them mad. | 0.63 | 1.44 | .49 | |
| about gender role acceptanceh* | 5 | Raising children is primarily a woman’s responsibility. | 0.62 | 1.87 | .56 | |
| Media-Related | ||||||
| Media Skepticismb | 3 | The media are dishonest about what might happen if people have sex. | 0.66 | 2.94 | .72 | |
| Perceived Realismb* | 3 | Teens in the media are as sexually experienced as average teens. | 0.80 | 2.10 | .70 | |
| Perceived Similarityi* | 4 | I am like the people in the media. | 0.77 | 2.12 | .60 |
Note: 4pt. Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 4 = Strongly Agree)
*
indicates that lower value is a more favorable outcome. For all other variables a higher value indicates a more favorable outcome.
a
adapted from L’Engle, Brown and Kenneavy (2005)
b
adapted from Scull, Malik, & Kupersmidt (2014)
c
adapted from Basen-Engquist et al. (SRBBS; 1999)
d
adapted from Soet, Dudley, and DiIorio (1999) self-efficacy scale
e
adapted from Halpern-Felsher et al. (2004) self-efficacy scale
f
adapted from Soet, Dudley, and DiIorio (1999)
g
adapted from Halpern-Felsher et al. (2004)
h
adapted from Foshee et al. (2005)
i
adapted from Kupersmidt, Scull, & Benson (2012)
j
adapted from Pinkleton et al. (2008)