Young women and safer sexual behaviours: A revision of the Information-Motivation-Behavioural skills Model

This research aims to examine if the integration of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model (Fisher & Fisher, 1992) with additional constructs, such as moral norms and emotions, can explain young women’s condom use. Participants were 188 Italian young women. Emotions and moral norms represented adequately the motivational component of the model, since they were significant predictors of behavioral skills (self-efficacy, negotiation strategies, sexual assertiveness), together with risk perception and behavioral intentions. In turn, behavioral skills were related to condom use. Besides offering a theoretical contribution, this research has relevant applicative implications, as it suggests which factors should be addressed through interventions aimed to motivate young women to adopt safer sexual behaviors.