Abstract
Purpose
This study was undertaken to determine whether the Adult Identity Mentoring (AIM)
project successfully promotes abstinence, delays initiation of sex, and decreases
intention to engage in sex.
Methods
Twenty middle school classes of African-American seventh graders were randomly assigned
to receive either the AIM intervention or a standard health education control curriculum.
The AIM is a 10-session curriculum based on the theory of possible selves. Class exercises
encourage students to articulate a possible future self-identity and to develop self-promotion
skills. Surveys about sexual activity were conducted before the intervention, 19 weeks
after baseline, and again at 1 year after the intervention.
Results
Hierarchical logistic regression analyses showed significant effects for the intervention
on sexual intentions, abstinence, and a trend toward fewer virgins initiating intercourse
for the first time, 19 weeks after baseline. Specifically, students who received the
intervention showed decreased intention to engage in sex and increased abstinence
compared with students not receiving the intervention. Effects for 1-year follow-up,
with smaller sample size, showed only that AIM male participants maintained the significant
abstinence effect.
Conclusions
A new intervention, AIM was evaluated among African-American seventh graders. This
program, by focusing students on positive future selves, effectively modified sexual
risk without directly providing instruction on sexually explicit topics.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
September 16,
2004
Received:
April 9,
2004
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Society for Adolescent Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
