Trust, Commitment, Fidelity, and Condom Use among Young Adults in Tanzania

Megan Klein Hattori, University of Maryland

In Tanzania, 7% of the adult population is HIV positive. For sexually active individuals there are two ways to avoid AIDS: long-term fidelity with an uninfected partner and consistent condom use. While trust and commitment are often barriers to condom use, they are likely prerequisites for long-term fidelity. We explore the relationship between trust, commitment, and AIDS prevention behaviors using the 2007 Tanzania Tracking Survey conducted among youth 15-24. We find greater trust in a partner is associated with having one’s identity verified by their partner, self-esteem, and mastery. Depression was associated with less trust. Trust, self-esteem, mastery, distress were found to be associated with commitment in our multivariate model as predicted. Multivariate logistic regressions show that consistent condom use does not have a significant relationship with trust or commitment. However, multivariate logistic regressions show that fidelity is associated with higher trust, being married, and being female.