Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Targeted High-Risk Youth in Missouri PREP: Understanding Program Impacts on Youth Sexual Behavior Intentions
Kendal Lowrey1, Claire Altman2, Andra Jungmeyer3
1The Pennsylvania State University.
Background:
Missouri Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) provides sexual health education programs to youth with goals of reducing unintended teen pregnancies. Theories of change provide that youth improve their sexual health knowledge, intentions, attitudes, and behaviors as a result of program implementation. Program evaluations are needed to assess the degree to which PREP programs are meeting their goals of improving youth outcomes.
Objective:
The purpose of this study is to examine youth sexual intentions to use a condom, engage in sexual behavior, and abstain from sex as a result of Missouri PREP program implementation. We evaluate the effectiveness of the Missouri program in modifying youth intentions toward healthier planned behaviors.
Methods:
All programs required youth to take pre- and post-program surveys. For this study, we evaluate a sample of 1,335 youth's pre- and post-survey intentions related to condom use, sex, and abstention. We utilize t-tests as well as a lagged logistic regression approach to account for youth's respective pre-intentions.
Results:
Youth's scores on intentions, knowledge, and attitudes rise from pre- to post-survey. Knowledge gains are salient while attitudes remain relatively high and stable. Intentions to use condoms differ from those in intentions to have or abstain from sex. Program change in intentions to use a condom are highest among the three intention outcomes.
Conclusions:
Missouri PREP saw improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and intentions as a result of program implementation. Findings suggest that the Missouri PREP program is effective at positively influencing youth intentions to engage in risky or sexual behavior.
Related Concept Videos
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Impact of Social Context on Individuals
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Timing and Consequences on Behavior
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...

