HIV-transmission knowledge, five-factor personality traits and psychopathy as determinants of risky sexual behaviors

139 Engaging in risky sexual behaviors can be extremely costly when their physical, emotional, and financial consequences are taken into account. Apart from running the risk of becoming pregnant or getting their partner pregnant, individuals who engage in risky sexual behaviors also increase the likelihood of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV. Therefore, increasing HIV-transmission knowledge is a primary goal of educational programs aimed at promoting healthy sexual behaviors and risk-reducing behavioral changes. Knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and practices about HIV transmission have been assessed in the general population of many countries in order to organize preventive programs or change behavioral practices of those with risky behaviors (London & Robles, 2000). However, it seems that knowledge of the possibility of being exposed to sexual diseases does not always lead to desired behavioral changes in sexually active college students and adolescents (Gray & Saracino, 1989). Namely, studies examining the effects of HIV knowledge on risky sexual behaviors have yielded equivocal results (Keselman, Kaufman, & Patel, 2004; Kotchik, Shaffer, Miller, & Forehand, 2001). Some of them found that greater knowledge about HIV was related to more consistent contraception use (Baker et al., 2003; Bazargan, Kelly, Stein, Husaini, & Bazargan 2000), fewer sexual partners (Zimet, et al., 1992), and increased worry and guilt about the possibility of having been exposed to HIV and/or other STDs following casual sex encounters (Baldwin, Whiteley, & Baldwin, 1990). On the other hand, many studies found no relationship between HIV knowledge and sexual risk-taking (Bachanas et al., 2002; Baldwin et al., 1990, Fisher, Fisher, Williams, & Malloy, 1994; HolJasna Hudek-Knežević, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, S. Krautzeka b.b., 51000 Rijeka, Croatia. E-mail: [email protected] (the address for correspondence);