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Existing research on singlehood has largely focused on the experiences of single women, and little is known about singlehood among men. The current investigation examined the experience of long-term singlehood through individual, semi-structured interviews with 22 never-married single men living in Poland who were aged 22-43 years. Thematic analysis revealed five key themes: (1) the sense of being deficient-is there something wrong with me?; (2) navigating outside the dominant discourse of traditional masculinity, marriage and family; (3) the benefits and downsides of singlehood; (4) adaptation to singlehood; and (5) the dilemma between waiting and actively searching for a romantic partner. An analysis of single men's narratives revealed that men experience their single status in the context of their various needs and hopes and as a status that determines their adult life course. This study contributes to the singlehood literature, highlighting the complexity of singlehood for men and the importance of traditional masculinity norms in experiencing long-term singlehood. These findings challenge stereotypical and unrealistic views of singlehood among men and have practical implications for psychotherapists, counsellors and educators working with single men.
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Background Data are limited on the association between marital status and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. This study investigated the influence of marital status on subclinical coronary atherosclerosis detected by coronary computed tomographic angiography in an asymptomatic population. Methods and Results This retrospective study analyzed 9288 asymptomatic individuals (mean age, 53.7±8.0 years; 6041 [65%] men) with no history of coronary artery disease who voluntarily underwent coronary computed tomographic angiography during a general health examination. Marital categories were married (n=8481) versus unmarried (n=807), comprising never married (n=195), divorced (n=183), separated (n=119), and widowed (n=310) individuals. The degree and extent of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis were evaluated by coronary computed tomographic angiography; ≥50% diameter stenosis was defined as significant. Logistic regression and propensity score matching analyses were used to determine the association between marital status and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, no significant differences were observed in the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of unmarried status for any coronary plaque (OR, 1.077; 95% CI, 0.899-1.291), calcified plaque (OR, 1.058; 95% CI, 0.881-1.271), noncalcified plaque (OR, 0.966; 95% CI, 0.691-1.351), mixed plaque (OR, 1.301; 95% CI, 0.884-1.917), and significant coronary artery stenosis (OR, 1.066; 95% CI, 0.771-1.474). Similarly, in the 2:1 propensity-score matched population (n=2398), no statistically significant differences were observed for the OR of marital status for any subclinical coronary atherosclerosis (P>0.05 for all). Conclusions In this large cross-sectional study, marital status was not associated with an increased risk of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.
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Enfermedad de la Arteria Coronaria , Placa Aterosclerótica , Enfermedades Asintomáticas , Angiografía Coronaria/métodos , Enfermedad de la Arteria Coronaria/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedad de la Arteria Coronaria/epidemiología , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Estado Civil , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
Nearly half of pregnancies amongst adolescent girls between ages 15 and 19 are unplanned, one outcome of this is unsafe abortion. Nigerian adolescents aged 15-19 have higher proportion of unmet needs for contraception than those aged 20-24, raising pertinent questions on their perceived susceptibility to pregnancy. Using the Health Belief Model, this article examined the effect of perceived susceptibility to pregnancy on modern contraceptive use among adolescents in Nigeria. Weighted data for 983 sexually active unmarried adolescents aged 15-19 years was extracted from the 2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey. Binomial logistic regression was modelled to test for this relationship. Results showed that there is no significant association between perceived susceptibility and modern contraceptive use. However, adolescents who make use of the internet (AOR=1.659, CI 1.046-2.630), and those who had a sexual partner (AOR=4.051, CI 1.960-8.639), more than one partner in the last 12 months (AOR=6.037, CI 2.292-15.902) were more likely to use modern contraceptive. Young adolescents in Nigeria needs to be sensitized about reproductive health and the importance of the use of contraceptive.
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BACKGROUND: Cultural and religious norms and expectations may influence the needs and behavior of single women. This is particularly true in those countries where religion and cultural expectations are salient in everyday life. In this context, the present study investigated the needs and concerns of Iranian never-married women aged 35 and older. METHODS: This qualitative study involved a conventional content analysis. Interviews were done with 23 never-married women aged 36-64 years in Iran. RESULTS: A total of 773 codes, 22 subcategories, 8 categories, and 3 themes were extracted from the interviews. The 3 themes were: (1) mental-spiritual lack; categories were lack of emotional support, uncertain future, mental rumination, and sexual worries; (2) reform of culture and society; categories were an adverse effect of culture and being overlooked in society; (3) loneliness arising from disability; categories were aging and loneliness and sickness and loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the analysis indicate that the needs and concerns of never-married women over the age of 35 years in Iran remain unmet. This suggests that policymakers and health planners should take into consideration the growing number of never-married women as a societal reality deserving of attention.
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Soledad , Conducta Sexual , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Irán , Investigación CualitativaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Statistics show that the age of the Iranian population is advancing, and the marriage age is increasing as well. Clearly, an increase in the number of never-married older adults is expected. The aim of this descriptive, analytical study was to determine the growth trend of never-married older population and its association with education level in Iran. METHODS: Based on the raw data collected from the Statistical Center of Iran, we studied the population of never-married older adults in the past 25 years and evaluated the growth pattern in different parts of Iran, using ArcGIS software. We also examined the association of singlehood in late life with education in men and women residing in rural and urban areas, using the Chi-square test in SPSS version 22. RESULTS: A sharp increase was observed in the population of never-married older adults, particularly women, in the past 10 years. Women with formal education from urban and rural areas were more likely to be never married in late life (χ2 = 10455.35, P < 0.001 and χ2 = 271.31, P < 0.001, respectively). Older men with formal education from urban areas were more likely to be never married (χ2 = 35.44, P < 0.001), while men with formal education from rural areas were less likely to be never married (χ2 = 179.13, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The rate of increase in the population of never-married older women was much higher than the overall growth of older population. Women with formal education, particularly those with university and pre-university degrees, were more likely to be single in late life. It is strongly suggested to determine the causes and process of singlehood in old age in future research, including qualitative studies.
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Objective@# To explore the influence of marital status on the survival of patients with buccal mucosa squamous cell carcinoma (BMSCC) and to provide a scientific basis for risk assessment and nursing decisions for these patients.@*Methods @# A total of 1 006 BMSCC participants were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results(SEER) database. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the effect of marital status (married, unmarried and unhappily married) on the survival of patients with buccal squamous cell carcinoma. The independent prognostic effect of marital status was further determined by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis.@*Results@# Marital status was an independent prognostic factor for BMSCC patients (P=0.001). Married patients had the best survival, while separated/divorced/widowed patients had the worst survival (HR=1. 445, P=0.001), and never married patients had an intermediate risk (HR=1.297, P=0.040).@*Conclusion@#Marital status was an independent prognostic factor for BMSCC patients. Unmarried and unhappily married patients had worse survival, which suggests that we should pay more attention to patients’ marital status, especially unmarried and unhappily married patients.
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This paper explores the unique role of religiosity in assisting Indonesian singles (extensively refer to those who are never married) and how it relates to the counseling and therapeutic practices with never-married clients. Whereas the role of religiosity has been drawn into scholarly attention for its effectiveness in dealing with many situations that are particularly related to social stigma, little is known regarding its role in assisting singles to overcoming stigma due to their singleness. Indonesian society regards marriage as a social achievement and this perception places singles in an undervalued position. On the contrary, the society regards positively those who demonstrate religious attributes. Therefore, religiosity is a potential factor that mediates social perception of singles who attach themselves to religious attributes (such as: religious symbols and rituals). Using database search methodology, this paper presents an overview of how religiosity assists singles in overcoming their challenges and discusses the implications of those dynamics in counseling settings.
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BACKGROUND: Being unmarried is associated with decreased survival in the general population. Whether married, divorced, separated, widowed, or never-married status affects outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease has not been well characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS: A prospective cohort (inception period 2003-2015) of 6051 patients (mean age 63 years, 64% male, 23% black) undergoing cardiac catheterization for suspected or confirmed coronary artery disease was followed for a median of 3.7 years (interquartile range: 1.7-6.7 years). Marital status was stratified as married (n=4088) versus unmarried (n=1963), which included those who were never married (n=451), divorced or separated (n=842), or widowed (n=670). The relationship between marital status and primary outcome of cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction was examined using Cox regression models adjusted for clinical characteristics. There were 1085 (18%) deaths from all causes, 688 (11%) cardiovascular-related deaths, and 272 (4.5%) incident myocardial infarction events. Compared with married participants, being unmarried was associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.47), cardiovascular death (HR: 1.45; 95% CI, 1.18-1.78), and cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction (HR: 1.52; 95% CI, 1.27-1.83). Compared with married participants, the increase in cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction was similar for the participants who were divorced or separated (HR: 1.41; 95% CI, 1.10-1.81), widowed (HR: 1.71; 95% CI, 1.32-2.20), or never married (HR: 1.40; 95% CI, 0.97-2.03). The findings persisted after adjustment for medications and other socioeconomic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Marital status is independently associated with cardiovascular outcomes in patients with or at high risk of cardiovascular disease, with higher mortality in the unmarried population. The mechanisms responsible for this increased risk require further study.
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Enfermedades Cardiovasculares/epidemiología , Encuestas Epidemiológicas , Estado Civil , Femenino , Humanos , Incidencia , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Prospectivos , Tasa de Supervivencia/tendencias , Estados Unidos/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
China's sex ratio imbalance and the surplus of males have received a great deal of attention, but measures of the extent of the marriage squeeze do not take into account the marital status of population. In this paper, we devise an index of the marriage squeeze for the never-married population and use it to project the male marriage squeeze from 2000 to 2060. From the predicted population and nuptiality tables, we estimate trends in the proportion of men that never marry by age 50 and the mean age at first marriage. We find that the marriage squeeze is much more intense if only the never-married population is considered, rather than including all people without distinguishing their marital status. As the lifelong never-married proportion increases, mean age at first marriage rises first and then declines.
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A study has been made of the probabilities of marriage of females and males aged 15-49 (either as a whole or in 5-year age groups) in two Outer Hebridean islands, Harris and Barra. The results were compared with ages of marriage and with the frequencies of permanent celibacy. The marriages took place between 1861 and 1990. Median ages of marriage rose to maxima in the 1930s and 1940s, then fell steeply, levelling out latterly. Permanent celibacy was consistently high among females, but rose from much lower levels in males to maxima in the 1970s and 1980s. It is concluded that in these populations age at marriage and the extent of permanent celibacy are largely independent of one another. In both islands the overall probabilities of females marrying fell until the 1920s, and then rose. The last decades showed stability (Barra) and a fall (Harris). Males showed only slight falls to about 1910; data were absent for between 1911 and 1960, but subsequently there was little rise in probability. These overall changes seemed to be associated with reciprocal variations in probabilities in the younger and older age groups. Declining overall probabilities were associated with declines in younger and increases in older age-group probabilities, and vice versa. Non-parametric correlations between median ages of marriage and probability of marriage were negative and generally significant for the 15-19 age group. Among the older age groups coefficients were generally positive. There was some evidence of an association between probability of marriage and sex ratio in any group of potential mates. The effect appeared more marked among 15- to 19-year-old females. Local factors which might explain at least part of the decline in nuptiality for the greater part of the period under study include the decline in the fishing industry and the 'land hunger' which existed until the late 1920s. This decline is interpreted as a 'Malthusian' response to economic and social conditions, but it coexisted with a 'neo-Malthusian' strategy, in the shape of declining marital fertility. The 'Malthusian' strategy seems to have been largely abandoned around the 1950s, but it may have reappeared during the 1980s.
PIP: This study examined the probability of marriage during 1861-1990 in two Outer Hebrides Islands (Harris and Barra). Data were obtained from marriage records in the General Register Office in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Census records. Barra Island is mainly Catholic. Harris Island is mainly Calvinistic Protestant. Short-term probabilities of marriage (POM) were calculated according to a modification of the methods of Pressat (1972). Findings indicate a gradual rise in marriage age that peaked in Harris during 1930-40 or 1941-50. Declines occurred until 1971-80. In Barra, declines continued until 1981-90. Permanent celibacy rose after 1861-80 and remained fairly constant at about 25-30%. After 1950, celibacy rose in Harris and remained constant in Barra. Male celibacy was under 10% until 1911-20, and then it rose to 20-30% after 1961. Celibacy rates were inversely related to marital ages until 1940. Short-term POM of females declined until 1920, especially in younger age groups, and then rose, especially during 1961-80 and among older ages, followed by stability in Barra and a decline in Harris. Males had higher POM than females prior to 1900 and then erratic patterns. Male POM did not rise after 1960. The relationship between POM and the sex ratio is unclear. The pattern of declining nuptiality until the 1940s contrasted with stable patterns in Scotland and England. Declines in nuptiality are attributed to economic hardship.
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Matrimonio/estadística & datos numéricos , Adolescente , Adulto , Distribución por Edad , Estudios de Cohortes , Femenino , Hébridas , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Probabilidad , Razón de Masculinidad , Abstinencia SexualRESUMEN
PIP: Data from the 1991 Encuesta Sociodemografica are used to analyze changes in nuptiality among both men and women in Navarre and the Basque region of Spain. "We have seen how the mean age at marriage for both sexes has decreased, although men still get married at older ages. We have seen how the number of years of education is the major variable determining age at marriage. Regarding the percentage of people who never marry (those who stay single at the age of 50), we have found important differences among the trends observed for men and women. While the former are more likely to remain single, the latter [are] more likely to get married." (EXCERPT)^ieng
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Factores de Edad , Escolaridad , Matrimonio , Factores Sexuales , Persona Soltera , Demografía , Países Desarrollados , Economía , Europa (Continente) , Estado Civil , Población , Características de la Población , Clase Social , Factores Socioeconómicos , EspañaRESUMEN
The purpose of this article is to examine single-parent families headed by fathers. "We use specially constructed child files from the 1960-1990 Public Use Microdata Samples data from the Census of Population to address two general questions: (a) To what extent has both the likelihood and the demographic characteristics of these families changed over time? (b) What are the consequences for children of living in different kinds of father-only families? We find that single-father families are comparatively rare, but increasing rapidly, especially since 1980. Increasingly, these families are formed by fathers who are young, never married, with low incomes, and fewer children. Analysis of the 1990 data reveals wide diversity in living arrangements among children in single-father families. Furthermore, the social capital of children's fathers, the availability of adults, and children's economic well-being vary markedly across these types of families."
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Niño , Demografía , Composición Familiar , Pobreza , Características de la Residencia , Persona Soltera , Familia Monoparental , Clase Social , Adolescente , Factores de Edad , Américas , Países Desarrollados , Economía , Geografía , Estado Civil , Matrimonio , América del Norte , Población , Características de la Población , Factores Socioeconómicos , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Never-married women have been regularly excluded in official national surveys of fertility in China, even in light of evidence of increasing premarital sexual activity. Likewise, never-married women in the United States were consistently excluded from national fertility surveys prior to 1982 because of the perceived sensitivity of questions about contraceptive use and sexual activities. Data on sexual and fertility behavior from all women of reproductive age, regardless of marital status, can provide direct measures of sexual activity and unintended pregnancies, as well as facilitate modeling of social networks underlying the sexual transmission of diseases. China's need for such information, however sensitive, will become more difficult to ignore given increasing pressures to attend to the health needs of their never-married but sexually active population.
PIP: It is argued that exclusion of the never married from Chinese fertility surveys eliminates consideration of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and factors that might indicate future changes in fertility or contraceptive use. Never married persons are important as providers of information on sexual activity and sexually transmitted diseases. Asia may replace Africa as a major transmission site for HIV infection by the year 2000. Official Chinese reports indicated 2594 HIV-infected persons in 1995, but actual numbers could be as high as 100,000 persons. Information about social networks and sexual activity can be helpful in predicting the potential for spread of HIV. Economic reforms are expected to impact on patterns of marriage and sexual behavior. Although the 1982 One-per-thousand Population Fertility Sampling Survey included married and unmarried women, it excluded women aged 15-19 years. Reproductive histories were not collected from unmarried women. The 1985 and 1987 In-Depth Fertility Surveys only collected reproductive histories among ever married women aged 15-49. The 1992 National Sex Civilization Survey of sexual behavior was limited to the currently married. The only survey of sexual activity among the never married was conducted among college students in Shanghai, but six universities refused to participate. There is no nationally representative fertility survey of the Chinese population that includes the never married. 1990 Census findings indicate that 25% of population aged 15 years or older were never married. There were 194 million never married persons aged 15-30 years in 1990, or 95% of the 205 million never married persons. The proportion of those never married is likely to increase. Lessons from Taiwan and the US indicate the difficulties in measuring premarital sexual behavior, but there are compelling reasons to collect information on sexual behavior and reproductive health.
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Recolección de Datos/métodos , Fertilidad , Estado Civil , Adolescente , Adulto , China , Servicios de Planificación Familiar , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Estado Civil/estadística & datos numéricos , Historia Reproductiva , Conducta Sexual/estadística & datos numéricos , Taiwán , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
The author reports on the number of never-married couples with children in the Netherlands. "There are 2.4 million families with children, of which about 2 million [are] married couples. According to the 1994 National Household Forecasts these numbers will be nearly constant between 1995 and 2010.... It is expected that in the future the percentage of cohabiting couples that will marry when they want to have children will decrease. This is why the number of never married couples with children living at home will grow by 75% between 1995 and 2010." (SUMMARY IN ENG)
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Composición Familiar , Ilegitimidad , Matrimonio , Persona Soltera , Países Desarrollados , Europa (Continente) , Estado Civil , Países Bajos , Problemas SocialesRESUMEN
"Since 1960 the marital status of single parents has shifted strongly in the Netherlands. Fewer single parents are widows or widowers and more are divorced. At the moment about half of single parents are divorced. The proportion of never-married single parents has grown only slightly." (SUMMARY IN ENG)
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Divorcio , Estado Civil , Matrimonio , Persona Soltera , Familia Monoparental , Viudez , Países Desarrollados , Europa (Continente) , Composición Familiar , Países BajosRESUMEN
"The purpose of the present paper is to describe findings from a survey on attitudes toward marriage and family among Japanese never-married youth from the point of view of the general framework of the demand and supply system. The survey was conducted as a part of the Tenth Japanese National Fertility Survey on the first of July in 1992.... The results...indicate that never-married people in Japan are in a kind of paradoxical situation in which they complain about such difficulties...as insufficient availability of prospective spouses, while they have weaker motivation to get married.... This situation can possibly be explained by [the] increasing level of expectation for marriage and spouse due to dynamic changes in [the perceived] function of marriage." (SUMMARY IN ENG)
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Adolescente , Actitud , Composición Familiar , Matrimonio , Motivación , Percepción , Persona Soltera , Factores de Edad , Asia , Conducta , Demografía , Países Desarrollados , Asia Oriental , Japón , Estado Civil , Población , Características de la Población , PsicologíaRESUMEN
PIP: Every day in the US, over 3000 teenagers become pregnant. The US adolescent pregnancy rate is higher than that in most other developed countries and is increasing. About half of the teenage pregnancies result in a live birth, and most of these mothers are unmarried and will not finish high school. The root cause of this problem is that the young women have a sense of worthlessness and hopelessness about their future that makes them establish the relationships that leave them with babies they are ill-equipped to rear. This is creating an ever-growing underclass condemned to poverty, to a dependency on welfare, and to continue the cycle. All of this results in an ever increasing burden on taxpayers. In Missouri, a bill was enacted in 1990 to address a number of school-related issues that are impacted by premature parenthood. Based on research, the bill makes schools responsible for the continued enrollment of pregnant teens. Alternative programs for pregnant and teen parents receive state aid through guidelines established by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education which allow local school districts to design their own programs. Nationwide research indicated that the greatest need of the teenage parents is obtaining appropriate child care. Parenting education is also of vital importance as is appropriate prenatal care. These strategies, in addition to intervening in the lives of middle grade students to help them avoid premature parenthood, form the basis of a 5-step program developed by the Committee for Economic Development to address the problem of teen parenthood. In Missouri, emphasis has also been placed on involving teen mothers in the education of their children so that the children are ready for kindergarten. Despite the proven cost-effective nature of these programs for teen parents (which help avoid additional pregnancies), very few states have encouraged such programs, apparently because of the up-front costs. Until Americans decide to devote sufficient resources to this problem, it will continue to place the future of all of society at risk.^ieng
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Adolescente , Cuidado del Niño , Educación , Escolaridad , Legislación como Asunto , Madres , Pobreza , Embarazo en Adolescencia , Servicios de Salud Escolar , Persona Soltera , Bienestar Social , Factores de Edad , Américas , Conducta , Crianza del Niño , Demografía , Países Desarrollados , Economía , Composición Familiar , Relaciones Familiares , Fertilidad , Estado Civil , Matrimonio , Missouri , América del Norte , Padres , Población , Características de la Población , Dinámica Poblacional , Conducta Sexual , Clase Social , Factores Socioeconómicos , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
"This article is Part 2 of the study on the method for projecting households [in Japan] by family type.... Part 1 was on modelling the transition process among different family types of households headed by [persons] over 35 years old, and on the method for projecting households by family type using the transition model.... Part 2 focuses on the method for projecting households in the formation stage headed by [those] under 34 years old.... Among projection outcomes, the proportion never married of males aged 30-34 goes up from 32.8 per cent to 37.3 per cent between 1990 and 2010, and the proportion never married of females aged 25-29 from 40.4 per cent to 47.1 per cent. [The] tendency of late marriage will continue to the beginning of the twenty-first century." (SUMMARY IN ENG)
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Composición Familiar , Familia , Predicción , Matrimonio , Crecimiento Demográfico , Factores Sexuales , Persona Soltera , Asia , Demografía , Países Desarrollados , Asia Oriental , Japón , Estado Civil , Población , Características de la Población , Estadística como AsuntoRESUMEN
PIP: In Thailand, the International Center for Research on Women conducted a study comparing the effect of various HIV/AIDS prevention activities on never-married women 14-24 years old who migrated to Chiang Mai to work in the export garment industry. These young women are very vulnerable to HIV/AIDS because they are freed from traditional norms and exposed to urban peer pressure. However, focus groups revealed that the women did not consider themselves at risk and feared negative reactions if they tried to discuss condoms with their boyfriends (who would equate knowledge with prior sexual experience). Among the interventions were a comic book which couched condom negotiation information in humorous terms and a romantic novel about a factory worker diagnosed with HIV. For 3 months trained peer leaders and health promoters led weekly educational sessions that included role-play. All participants were given a certificate noting that they had completed an AIDS education course. This certificate enabled the young women to broach the subject of AIDS with their boyfriends, their families, and their friends. The project improved their communication skills, their self-confidence, and their perceptions of risk. The most significant improvements were found among the women enrolled in the groups facilitated by peer leaders. Even though the peer leaders were not as knowledgeable as the health promoters, the peer leaders were more sensitive to the needs of the women and more capable of leading group discussions and participatory learning activities.^ieng
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Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida , Comunicación , Empleo , Infecciones por VIH , Educación en Salud , Planificación en Salud , Servicios de Información , Medios de Comunicación de Masas , Grupo Paritario , Persona Soltera , Asia , Asia Sudoriental , Países en Desarrollo , Enfermedad , Economía , Educación , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Fuerza Laboral en Salud , Estado Civil , Matrimonio , Organización y Administración , Tailandia , VirosisRESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Use of condoms is one of the main methods sexually active persons may choose to prevent infection with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Little is known about patterns of condom use among women in the United States. We provide a conceptualization of patterns of condom use and factors associated with these patterns. GOAL OF THIS STUDY: To examine patterns of condom use and associated characteristics among sexually active, never-married women in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: Analysis of data from the 1988 National Survey of Family Growth, which is a nationally representative sample of women in their childbearing years. RESULTS: Only a minority of sexually active, never-married women report using condoms, and even fewer report using them consistently. Women with characteristics traditionally associated with increased risk of infection with STD and HIV appear to be less likely to report using condoms and to report using them consistently. Women who report use of condoms to prevent STDs are more likely to report consistent condom use; less likely to cease using condoms; and more likely to initiate consistent condom use. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest the need for innovative programming targeted for specific sexually active populations to promote both initiation and maintenance of use of condoms.
PIP: The US Centers for Disease Control's Division of STD/HIV Prevention analyzed 1988 data on 1887 sexually active, never-married women living throughout the US to learn their condom use patterns and associated characteristics of these patterns. More than 75% of these women had had more than 2 lifetime sexual partners, but only 41.2% (777) of all women reported having used condoms within at least 1 month during the previous 4 years and just 31.6% (245) of these women used them consistently (i.e., 13% of all women). 44.5% of women who used condoms at some time during the previous 4 years had stopped using them. 26.2% of women who did not use condoms at the beginning of the 4-year reference period began to use them consistently at another point of the period. The data did not allow the researchers to determine whether the women used the condoms correctly or whether they used them consistently during the course of each month, however. Black and Hispanic women, with lower levels of education and higher numbers of lifetime sexual partners, were most likely not to use condoms. Yet, these women were those at the highest risk of acquiring sexually transmitted disease (STDs) or HIV infection. The most consistent users were women at low risk of acquiring these disease: older White women with few lifetime sexual partners who used condoms to prevent STDs and considered themselves at low risk of acquiring AIDS. Women who used condoms to prevents STDs were more likely to use condoms in the previous 4 years, use them consistently, and initiate consistent condom use; they were also less likely to cease using condoms. These findings stress the need for STD/HIV prevention efforts (raising awareness and effective ways to reduce the risk) to target young, minority women with many lifetime sexual partners, women who have not used condoms to prevent STDs, and women who consider themselves to be at risk for HIV infection.