YOUNG-ADULT SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR - ISSUES IN PROGRAMMING AND EVALUATION

An exploratory study of 222 heterosexual young adults was conducted to develop a method for assessing sexual behaviors which would protect naive subjects from exposure to sensitive questions. Subjects were asked 18 gender-specific questions about their sexual behavior during the past week. Classification of subjects according to the first negative response revealed the sensitivity of the scale to be problematic. Stages that included four items each (except for end-stage coitus) were found to have Perfect sensitivity for all groups. Implications of these results for the development and evaluation of programs targeting sexual behaviors of youth and young adults are discussed.