Predictors of college women's sexual risk-taking behavior: an interpersonal empowerment perspective

Rates of HIV/AIDS continue to increase within the United States, despite widespread prevention efforts. Of new cases attributed to heterosexual contact, the rates of infection for women are nearly twice that of men (CDC, 2001). Additionally, it has been shown that the vast majority of sexually active women fail to use condoms consistently. Research has suggested that there may be variables that exist within the context of interpersonal relationships that impact womens ability to negotiate the use of condoms or refuse unprotected sex. As hypothesized, the current study showed that interpersonal power was predictive of rates of condom use among college women. The present study also investigated how feminine gender roles and perceived mate availability are differentially related to interpersonal power for African American and European American women.