Condom Self Efficacy among Sexually Active out-of School Male Apprentices in Anambra State, Nigeria: Effectiveness of Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)

Abstract

A major health concern in Nigeria is the low usage of condoms among sexually active youths despite their acknowledged benefits. This study examined the  main effect of Emotional Enhancement Therapy (MET)  and the interaction effect of  level of HIV knowledge  on condom self efficacy among identified sexually active male out-of school youths in Anambra State, Nigeria. Pre test post test control group design with 2x2 factorial matrix was adopted for the study. Ninety seven youths in the  age range of  15-22 years and  mean age of 18.5 (SD = 2.2) were purposively recruited from an approximated 3,301 apprentices in two major markets in Anambra State, and were randomly assigned into treatment conditions. The experimental group was exposed to ten sessions of MET, while the control group was used as the comparison group. Data was collected with three self-report questionnaires. Three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significance level. The result of Analysis of Covariance showed a significant main effect of treatment on condom self efficacy. However, there was no interaction effect of HIV knowledge on the criterion variable. Furthermore, treatment and level of HIV knowledge jointly contributed 62.2% of the variance in condom self efficacy. In conclusion, MET was effective in enhancing condom self-efficacy irrespective of HIV knowledge. This outcome has implication for programming intervention for out-of school youths.