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Abstract
The Condom Embarrasment Scale (CES), an 18-item Likert-type scale, was developed to assess the level of embarrassment associated with condom use. Two hundred and fifty-six college students completed a questionnaire which included the CES, the Sex Anxiety Inventory, a sexually transmitted disease/condom knowledge test, a demographic, and sex behavior items. The CES had a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of .92 and a three-week test-retest reliability of .78. The mean score for women on the CES was significantly higher than the mean score for men, suggesting that women students experience greater anxiety around condom use than do men students. A principal factor analysis revealed three major components of condom embarrassment which accounted for 59.4 percent of the total variance. These factors were interpreted as (a) embarrassment about obtaining or possessing condoms, (b) embarrassment about negotiating the use of condoms, and (c) embarrassment about using condoms. Supporting its construct validity, the CES correlated significantly with the Sex Anxiety Inventory, a STD/condom knowledge test, and certain demographic and sex behavior variables. These correlations suggest that embarrassment is reduced among poeple with greater sexual knowledge, sexual experience, and condom use experience.