Sexual health behaviours and partner notification practices related to sexually transmitted infections in young adults in Ireland

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) impose burdens on individuals and communities, while their prevalence in young people has risen continually in recent years. Partner notification is an effective public health strategy which can limit STI transmission.

This study aimed to explore young adults’ sexual health behaviours, attitudes toward STI testing, and feelings toward visiting a sexual health clinic. It also aimed to investigate preferences for partner notification and the role of self-efficacy in people’s intentions to notify a partner for STIs including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

A quantitative, cross-sectional design was applied. Participants were 400 adults aged 18–34 years (M = 23 years; SD = 4.27), recruited from the Republic of Ireland.

Over half of the participants reported never being tested for STIs. These young people placed less importance on undergoing regular STI testing and testing after unprotected sex than their counterparts who had been tested for STIs. Self-efficacy was significantly associated with intentions to notify partner(s) for STIs including HIV.

As STIs are becoming increasingly prevalent in young adults, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the interventions used to break the transmission chain and how different beliefs and attitudes may affect them. Self-efficacy was a key component in PN intentions, suggesting that the belief in someone’s ability or skillset to perform a sexual health behaviour is positively related to their intention to perform the behaviour.