'To touch them, is to love them': effects of direct experience with condoms on adolescents' attitudes toward condoms

The present study examined the effect of a short physical interaction with condoms (opening packages, taking out the condoms and unrolling them) on the attitude toward condoms and on intended condom use, Using a pre-post experimental design, 101 adolescents were randomly assigned to one experimental and four control groups, Subjects in the experimental group handled condoms for about 10 min, answering questions about the difficulty of performing the instructed tasks, In the first control group, subjects completed a filler questionnaire on HIV infection, Subjects in a second control group watched a peer from the experimental group and answered similar questions about the difficulty of performing the tasks, The attention of subjects in the third control group was focused away from the features of condoms that are associated with their use; subjects were instructed to look at the condoms and complete a filler task, Subjects in a last control group were to observe subjects from Control group 3 and to complete the same filler task, Results indicated that having a short, direct experience with condoms failed to influence the attitude toward condom use and intended condom use, Post hoc examination of the effects in the control groups, however, suggested that inducing an affective focus in subjects resulted in positive attitudinal changes and had a positive effect on the expectation to use condoms in the future.