Abstract:
The Sexual Discounting Task (SDT) was developed to evaluate the effects of delay on decision making as it relates to sexual risk-taking behaviors. Though previously validated with other populations, including urban emerging adults, the current study sought to validate the SDT with adolescents. A sample of adolescents (N = 155; 61% female) between ages 14 and 21 (Mage = 19.5 years) was recruited to complete the SDT (involving choices between immediate unprotected sex and delayed sex with a condom with hypothetical sexual partners) and the Delay Discounting Task (a delay discounting task for money outcomes). Additionally, they completed several self-report measures assessing demographics, sexual behavior, and sexual history. If the condom was readily available, respondents were more likely to use a condom for partners who were judged \"most likely to have an STI\" and for those that participants were \"least likely to have sex with.\" Moreover, when a condom was not immediately available, greater self-reported sexual risk-taking was related to greater sexual discounting (i.e., greater effects of delay on decreasing condom use). Furthermore, sexual discounting was greater among partners deemed more desirable and those judged \"least likely to have an STI.\" Differences in sexual discounting were significant after controlling for immediately available condom use. Findings from the current study suggest that the SDT is clinically meaningful for adolescents and is sensitive to factors that influence real-world decisions to use condoms. Future treatment and prevention should consider delay discounting as an important variable affecting sexual risk behavior.
摘要:
开发了性折扣任务(SDT),以评估与性冒险行为有关的延迟对决策的影响。尽管以前在其他人群中得到了验证,包括城市新兴的成年人,本研究试图验证青少年的SDT.招募了14至21岁(Mage=19.5岁)的青少年样本(N=155;61%的女性)来完成SDT(涉及立即无保护的性行为和与假设性伴侣一起使用避孕套的延迟性行为之间的选择)和延迟折扣任务(金钱结果的延迟折扣任务)。此外,他们完成了几项自我报告评估人口统计数据的措施,性行为,和性史。如果避孕套是现成的,受访者更有可能为被认为“最有可能患有性传播感染”的伴侣使用避孕套,以及那些参与者“最不可能发生性行为”的伴侣使用避孕套。\"此外,当避孕套无法立即使用时,更大的自我报告的性冒险行为与更大的性折扣相关(即,延迟对减少避孕套使用的影响更大)。此外,在被认为更可取的伴侣和那些被认为“最不可能有性传播感染”的伴侣中,性折扣更大。“在控制立即使用避孕套后,性折扣的差异显着。当前研究的结果表明,SDT对青少年具有临床意义,并且对影响现实世界决定使用避孕套的因素敏感。未来的治疗和预防应将延迟折扣视为影响性风险行为的重要变量。