Factors Affecting Condom-Use Behaviors Among Female Emerging Adults in South Korea

Abstract

Purpose

To date, no studies have examined the association between gender-driven power dynamics and the decision-making process for condom use in South Korea. This study aimed to identify predictors of condom-use behaviors among female emerging adults in South Korea.

Participants and Methods

This study used a cross-sectional design and recruitment was conducted using social network services. The participants comprised 169 female college students aged 18‒25 years who were actively engaging in sexual intercourse.

Results

The results showed that attitudes toward condom use was a stronger predictor of condom-use behaviors than sexual double standards. A significant implication of this study is the need for novel approaches to address condom use in female emerging adults. Potential approaches should consider gender dynamics and have cultural and social relevance for South Korean society.

Conclusion

The current findings offer insight into developing future interventions tailored to the population to promote condom use, thereby preventing STDs/HIV, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and other negative consequences in female emerging adults in South Korea.

Keywords:

• condoms
• nursing theory
• sexual behavior
• sexually transmitted diseases

Abbreviations

DSS, Double Standards Scale; GMSEX, Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction; GLB, greater lower bound; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; LGBTQ, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer; PI, principal investigator; SAS, Sexual Assertiveness Scale; STDs, sexually transmitted diseases; SRBBS, Sexual Risk Behavior Beliefs and Self-Efficacy Scale; TGP, theory of gender and power; TPB, theory of planned behavior; WHO, World Health Organization.

Data Sharing Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Jungmin Lee, on special request.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

The study’s protocol complied with the Declaration of Helsinki⁵⁰ and was approved by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s (UNCG) institutional review board. The reason that approval was not consulted in the local institutional review board in South Korea is that the author’s affiliation was UNCG at the time, and the data collection was not conducted face-to-face, but rather as an online questionnaire using an SNS platform. This decision was made after thorough discussion with the UNCG IRB and committee members. After receiving approval, we posted advertisements on the Facebook pages of the first author, and those of relevant large college organizations’ as well as by other mechanisms, such as departmental and student associations’ group chats. Relevant organizations were contacted through their social media managers to obtain approval for the advertisement. Qualtrics (online survey software) was used to contact eligible participants directly to invite them to participate in the study. An information sheet was posted on the first page of the Qualtrics survey, detailing the basic eligibility requirements and instructing students to click on the link if they were willing to participate. The information sheet informed participants of the purpose of the study and explained the researchers’ credentials, information regarding confidentiality, and the voluntary nature of participation.

Acknowledgment

This manuscript is a condensed version of the first author’s doctoral thesis at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Disclosure

The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.