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Abstract
The present study was designed to investigate the influences of cultural, ethnic, demographic, and sexual-related factors on sexual decision-making. The sample for this study consisted of 82 Black women in undergraduate and graduate programs at 4 southern universities. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 34, with the majority of the participants aged 21 (20.7%) and 20 (13.4%). Pearson Product-Moment correlation coefficients were calculated to investigate whether there were relationships between the ability to initiate wanted sexual activity, refuse unwanted sexual activity, and prevent unwanted pregnancy, STDs, and HIV and each of the following variables: ethnic identity, subjective stigma, and total number of partners. Results indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between ethnic identity and the ability to refuse unwanted sexual activity and to prevent unwanted pregnancy, STDs, and HIV as well as subjective stigma and the ability to refuse unwanted sexual activity. One-way ANOVAs were calculated to investigate whether differences existed in the ability to initiate sexual activity, refuse unwanted sexual activity, and prevent unwanted pregnancy, STDs, and HIV and each of the following variables: self-perceived physical attractiveness, ever having or not having had an unwanted sexual outcome, and frequency of condom use. There was a significant difference in the ability to prevent unwanted pregnancy, STDs, and HIV and frequency of condom use; however, this statistical significance was most likely due to the similarity in the two variables. Lastly, three multiple regressions were calculated to investigate which cultural, sexual, and self-evaluative variables were the best predictors of the ability to initiate wanted sexual activity, refuse unwanted sexual activity, and prevent unwanted pregnancy, STDs, and HIV. There were no significant variables that predicted the ability to initiate wanted sexual activity or to prevent unwanted pregnancy, STDs, and HIV. Subjective stigma and ethnic identity were significant predictors of the ability to refuse unwanted sexual activity.