Why People Do Not Use Condoms?

Why people do not use condoms

Many men and women prefer unprotected intercourse or using another contraceptive method rather than using a condom. Among currently married women of reproductive age, only 5 percent use condoms for contraception worldwide, and only 3 percent in less developed regions of the world, according to United Nations estimates of contraceptive use. In this chapter we a re going to analyze or try to explain why some people don't use condoms. In order to do this, we used some theory of the book 'Social Psychology' (7th edition) by David G. Meyers. Also we used much information that we got from the internet.

In the above mentioned book, they explained that each construes the human skin as a special boundary that separates one set of casual forces from another. On the sunny side of the epidermis are the external or situational forces that press inward upon the person, and on the meaty side are the internal or personal forces that exert pressure outward. Sometimes these forces press in conjunction, sometimes in opposition, and their dynamic interplay manifest itself as observable behavior.

In the figure below you can see a figure which explains Harold Kelly's theory of attribution.

Through the figure above, you can conclude yourself whether the following reasons are internal or external attribution. In addition we divided the causes in two parts. The first one is the reasons of the people in the developed countries and the second part is about the reason of the people in the developing countries.

Developed Countries

The most frequent reasons people in the developed countries give for not using a condom relate to the following issues: lack of sensation or interrupted sexual pleasure; psychological and social factors, including couple communication and assumptions that condoms are for use in extramarital relationships and with prostitutes; lack of availability of condoms, including policies that prohibit condom distribution to youth; and lack of confidence in the reliability of condoms themselves. To make condoms more acceptable and more widely used, all of these issues should be addressed.

Factors affecting the acceptability of condoms can be thought of as a series of concentric circles that interact with each other -- from the individual at the center to the couple, the health-care system, the community and the entire world. An individual's knowledge, attitudes, habits, perceptions, awareness of the need and other internalized factors are critical to condom use. But what forms those belief systems and determines individual behavior? The dynamics between sexual partners play a crucial role and depend on many factors, such as whether sex is with a regular partner or not, whether the couple talks about sex and protection against disease and unwanted pregnancy, and whether sex is voluntary for both parties.

At the community level, many programmatic issues are involved, from counseling in health-care systems to condom logistics and distribution systems. National as well as local policies about condoms affect acceptability, as do attitudes and pronouncements about condom use by parents, church leaders, peers, entertainment figures, political leaders and others. For example in Virginia, USA, it was not legal to have sex whitout a wedding ring. Until earlier this year, couples who were hitched could be fined $250 each time they got caught. Worldwide priorities for AIDS prevention campaigns influence the messages that communities receive and how they respond.

Persuading people at risk of STD/HIV to use condoms is one of the primary strategies of AIDS prevention programs throughout the world. In general, lessons from AIDS prevention campaigns show that product attributes play a minor role in initial condom acceptance compared to strategies that influence an individual's perception of the importance of condom use. Once a person starts using condoms regularly, product attributes may play a more significant role in continued use. Condoms are most effective if used consistently, which requires sustained behavior change. If preferences regarding product attributes can encourage consistent condom use over a sustained period of time, choices among various types of products may be important.

Among 544 men attending STD clinics and a university health service in Australia, about one out of five were no longer using condoms. The major reasons were that his partner(s) were using another contraceptive, he was not sexually active, he thought his partner(s) did not have an STD, and he did not like how condoms felt.

In a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 U.S. men interviewed about condoms, the most frequently cited negative reactions were: reduces sensation, requires being careful to avoid breakage, requires withdrawing quickly, embarrassing to buy, difficult to put on, often comes off during sex, embarrassing to discard, shows you think partner has AIDS, and makes partner think you have AIDS.

Another U.S. study of 652 sexually active people found that 61 percent reported not using a condom with their last sexual partner. Low perceived risk of HIV infection was the main reason given, although most did not know enough about their partner to be sure.

Developing countries

National surveys generally do not record condom use among unmarried persons and in sexual activity outside of marriage, arenas that are critical for disease prevention. Some recent Demographic and Health Surveys have found that men report higher condom use than women and that men report higher condom use with partners other than spouses. In the Zimbabwe DHS, for example, of those men having sex in the last four weeks with their spouse, 12 percent had used a condom, while men having sex with other partners reported using a condom 60 percent of the time. Nevertheless, one analysis estimated that overall condom use is less than half of what is needed to protect the health and lives of men and women.

Studies in many parts of the world indicate that couples do not use condoms for many reasons, including fear of partners' reactions/partner opposition, lack of confidence in the product, decreased pleasure, and not perceiving the risk of disease.

Among 620 women interviewed at a family planning clinic in Jamaica, respondents gave three primary reasons for non-use of condoms. Most often the women said they did not need protection in addition to their primary contraceptive method because they were not at risk of STDs. Also, condoms were uncomfortable or decreased pleasure, and their partner was opposed