Nearly all participants reported having had sexual intercourse and 40 percent claimed to have had 20 or more partners. Frequency of condom use varied widely, with only 16 percent stating they always used condoms. Participants completed a questionnaire focusing on their expectations about the likely outcome of a scenario in which a couple had the opportunity for sexual intercourse and their perceptions of reasons for the scenario to end in abstinence, intercourse with a condom, or unprotected intercourse. Most respondents (75 percent) expected the scenario to end in unprotected intercourse. In general, participants seemed to believe that, compared to males, female sexual decisionmaking was more likely to be influenced by pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, by wanting to be responsible, and by issues related to the relationship. Content analysis of their perceptions of reasons for various endings suggested three important influences on sexual behavior: pleasure, avoidance of fear, and condom availability. Intervention strategies based on awareness of these influences are discussed, particularly with regard to motivational aspects of fear, the development of a capacity to think about positive consequences of safe sex, and gender role expectations. 29 references and 7 tables