Abstract

HIV/AIDS rates have continued to rise in Eastern Europe where adolescents are particularly vulnerable. The theory of reasoned action (TRA) has successfully been applied to understanding adolescent sexual risk behavior and provides a theoretical framework for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. According to TRA, attitudes and subjective norms predict behaviors via the mediating role of intentions, and in order to have an impact on behavior, changes must occur at the attitude and subjective norm level. Because parents have been found to influence their children's attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions, the moderating effects of parent communication on sexual risk behavior of adolescents were examined. In addition, the moderating effects of peer communication were also examined using a sample from two Eastern European countries. Using the multiple group procedure for structural equation modeling, parent and peer communication were found to have moderating effects within the model. Intentions were the best predictor of behavior, and attitude was the strongest predictor of intention. While both parents and peers impacted an adolescent's attitude, peers exhibited the strongest influences in an adolescent's developing attitude. Analyses with quality of parental relationship suggested little to no effects in influencing the components of TRA. Furthermore, no meaningful differences were found between the two countries.

LLU Discipline

Experimental Psychology

Department

Psychology

School

School of Science and Technology

First Advisor

Kiti Freier

Second Advisor

Gary Hopkins

Third Advisor

Duane McBride

Fourth Advisor

Matt Riggs

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Level

M.A.

Year Degree Awarded

2007

Date (Title Page)

6-2007

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Adolescent Behavior -- psychology -- Eastern Europe; Sexual Behavior -- Eastern Europe; Parent - Child Relations; HIV Infections -- psychology; Acquired Immunodificiency Syndrome

Type

Thesis

Page Count

xii; 110

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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