title: The Impact of Spirituality and Religiosity on Unprotected Sex for Adult Women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship of spirituality and religiosity with sexual behavioral self-efficacy in predicting recent unprotected sex in a sample of adult women, predominantly comprised of African Americans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from a sample of 171 adult women via a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. We conducted a path analysis to test the proposed relationships.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An increase in both religiosity and spirituality predicted a decrease in number of types of recent unprotected sex, indirectly through sexual behavior self-efficacy. All indirect effects were similar in magnitude.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that religiosity and spirituality are both associated with unprotected sex through sexual self-efficacy among African-American women. Faith-based strategies warrant further examination as components of sexual risk reduction efforts for this population.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, Department of Communication, College Park, MD, USA. iirina@umd.edu.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iles
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boekeloo
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, Department of Communication, College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Anita Atwell
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Seate
authors.affiliation: Strategic Community Services, Inc., Lanham, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quinton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012067:Religion; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D020377:Self Efficacy; D029181:Spirituality; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult