Predictors of Contraceptive Self-Efficacy and Condom Use Among Young Black Women Who Have Sex With Women and Men

Abstract

Abstract Black women who have sex with women and men (BWSWM) are at risk for unplanned pregnancies, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, there is a paucity of studies assessing psychosocial factors related to sexual risk in this population. This study investigated the relationship among condom use; contraceptive self-efficacy; lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identity; sexuality-religious conflict; parent support for participants’ attraction to women; and LGB community support within a sample of 162 participants who responded to an online survey. Participants were cisgender women (n = 152) and genderqueer or gender-nonbinary participants who were assigned female at birth (n = 10) aged 18 to 35. Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that LGB identity, low sexuality-religious conflict, and greater parent support predicted contraceptive self-efficacy and, in turn, greater contraceptive self-efficacy mediated the relationship between these factors and increased condom use. Implications for work with this population in research and clinical contexts are considered.