Sex and Female Empowerment (SAFE)

Experimental: computer-adaptive SAFE

Computer-adaptive SAFE will consist of 4 60-minute sessions. Sessions 1 and 2 will explore participants' reasons to become and rewards for becoming pregnant/having children or avoiding it, introduce reproductive biology in the context of different contraceptive methods and explore the participant's ambivalence toward using different contraceptive methods. Session 3 will provide in-depth coverage of contraceptive methods and the need for use of a barrier method. Session 4 will focus on effective strategies to communicate with a sexual partner. Computer-adaptive SAFE will use an audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) format.

Verhalten: Computer-adaptive SAFE

Experimental: Face-to-face SAFE

Face-to-face SAFE will consist of 4 60-minute sessions using motivational interviewing techniques. Each session will be led by an experienced counselor. Sessions 1 and 2 will explore participants' reasons to become and rewards for becoming pregnant/having children or avoiding it, introduce reproductive biology in the context of different contraceptive methods and explore the participant's ambivalence toward using different contraceptive methods. Session 3 will provide in-depth coverage of contraceptive methods and the need for use of a barrier method, and relevant skills regarding how to use and negotiate use of contraceptive methods. Session 4 will focus on effective strategies to communicate with a sexual partner.

Verhalten: Face-to-face SAFE

Aktiver Komparator: Usual Care

Usual care comprises four 60-minute provider-led individual care sessions about HIV, STIs, and their risks, as well as prevention methods. Contraceptive methods are discussed within this context. There will be no demand on participants to attend these sessions. Participants will receive written take-home materials to review on their own and/or with their sex partners.

Verhalten: Übliche Pflege

Intervention Satisfaction

Summary scale score: Derived from responses to a four-item 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = "not at all help" to 5 = "extremely helpful") of satisfaction with the intervention, administered at the end of each of the four intervention sessions.

Contraceptive Consultation Appointment

Binary variable: Did or did not the participant schedule and attend an appointment with a obstetrical provider at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Obstetrical/Gynecological Services, determined from medical records.

Intervention Completion

Binary variable: Completes or fails to complete all four intervention sessions in a 6-week period, determined from study records.

Contraceptive Method Effectiveness

Percentage: The typical use effectiveness level of the contraceptive method in use at the end of the intervention based on responses to the National Survey of Family Growth contraceptive methods items. If the participant does not make an appointment and choose a contraceptive method, the typical-use effectiveness level of the contraceptive method indicated at intake in response to the Survey of Family Growth contraceptive methods items will be used. Typical effectiveness rating of contraceptive methods is a percentage between 15% and 99.85%, and will be based on Hatcher, R.A., Contraceptive technology, which reports success and failure rates for contraceptive methods in current use.

Knowledge of Reproduction

Summary scale score: Derived from eight true-false questions about participants' understanding of the information that was presented in the four intervention sessions about anatomy, menstruation, fertility, and conception, administered at each assessment time point.

Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods

Summary scale score: Derived from twenty true-false questions about participants' understanding of the information presented in the four intervention sessions about contraceptive methods, how hormonal contraceptives work, how to correctly use them; hormonal contraceptive side effects and ways to deal with them; which methods are effective against STIs/HIV; correct condom use, administered at each assessment time point.

Contraceptive Self-efficacy Scale

Summary scale score: Derived from the Contraceptive Self-efficacy Scale, an eighteen-item 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = "not at all true of me" and 5 = "completely true of me") designed to measure a female respondent's motivational barriers to effective contraceptive use, including obtaining contraceptives, using contraceptives with a partner, talking to a partner about contraceptive use, using contraceptives despite partner approval, and preventing unprotected sexual intercourse, administered at each assessment time point.

Effective Contraceptive Behavior

Ordered polytomous variable: Participant's self-report of their contraceptive behavior obtained at each assessment time point will be classified into 1 of 4 patterns: (1) "uninterrupted effective user" (e.g., implant, injectable, an IUD); (2) "uninterrupted other user" (use of effective methods on an interrupted basis); (3) "sporadic user" (use of some method when at risk for pregnancy); or (4) "nonuser", where "uninterrupted" in (1) means that an effective method was used for the entire time period under assessment; otherwise, categorized as (2).

Frequency of Use of Barrier Protection in past 30 days

Count variable: Self-reported number of times in the past 30 days a participant used a barrier method for protection from HIV/STIs when engaging in sexual activities, collected at each assessment time point.

Number of Times Engaged in Unprotected Sex in past 30 days

Count variable: Self-reported number of times in the past 30 days a participant engaged in unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal sex, collected at each assessment time point.