Relational sexual scripts and women's condom use: The importance of internalized norms

Three studies were conducted to explore the impact of scripted sociosexual norms on women's contraceptive behavior. In Study 1, scripts of an initial sexual encounter written by 36 female and 30 male undergraduates were analyzed for relational orientation. Women portrayed the female character as more relational than the male character. Scripts including condom use were less relational than those without condom use. In Study 2, a Relational Ideal factor from an Ideal Sexual Self Scale was obtained from the responses of 272 female participants. The Relational Ideal was used in Study 3 to predict contraceptive attitudes and behavior in 62 undergraduate women. Endorsement of the Relational Ideal, controlling for sexual attitudes, was associated with less positive attitudes towards condoms, lesser likelihood of condom use during last intercourse, and greater latency to obtaining contraceptives in relationships. These results are discussed with respect to the incorporation of condoms into relational scripts, and the impact of these scripts on women's contraceptive behavior.