Perceived acceptance of condom use by partners, close friends, and parents of Spanish and Mozambican heterosexual adolescents.

Purpose: The main aim of the current study was to compare Spanish and Mozambican male and female secondary students, with regard to sexual behaviors and perceptions surrounding the acceptance of condom use.

Method: The participants were 773 secondary students-412 from Spain and 361 from Mozambique, aged from 15 to 17 years old. Data collection was done using questionnaires. Analysis was carried out using multivariate methods.

Results: Spanish adolescents took more precautions than Mozambican adolescents. Furthermore, Spanish adolescents perceived that the acceptance of condom use by their referents were higher than those reported by the Mozambican adolescents. Among Spanish youths, only the perceived acceptance of their current partner predicted condom use in their most recent sexual encounter.

Discussion: Differences in the decision-making power of males and females and the type of partner might explain the differences observed in the preventive behavior of the students in both countries.