Behavioral Economic Assessment of Contraceptive Use and Abortion Access Among College Cis Women in the U.S.

Abstract

College students are at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies, complicated by changes in abortion access across the United States. The current study utilized a behavioral economic framework to examine how sex-related behavior, knowledge, and attitudes as well as access to abortion impacted valuation of condoms and an emergency contraceptive (i.e., morning after pill) among cis women college students (N = 109). Behavioral economic tasks included condom demand (ConPT) and condom delay discounting (ConDD) in the context of a one-night stand as well as a novel task assessing emergency contraceptive demand (ECPT). Tasks were completed twice under conditions where participants were instructed to imagine that abortion was either legal or illegal. Participants' self-reported sexual risk history as well as knowledge and attitudes toward contraceptives was also assessed. History of greater sexual risk behavior was significantly associated with lower valuation of contraceptives (i.e., ConPT, ECPT) and greater likelihood of having sex without a condom (i.e., ConPT, ConDD). Positive attitudes toward the morning after pill were significantly associated with greater demand in the ECPT. Relative to the abortion legal condition, greater valuation of contraceptives was observed in the ConPT, ConDD, and ECPT in the abortion illegal condition. Our findings support the utility of applying a behavioral economic framework to assess changing valuation of contraceptives among college students.