Teens'access to confidential services for sexually transmitted infections (STI's) has been assured over time by privacy protections established through statutory and policy routes. Yet, the STI epidemic among youth persists, in part, because many STI's are largely asymptomatic, remain undetected and continue to be transmitted unknowingly. Also, many teens are reluctant to obtain STI services due to embarrassment, fear of disclosure, lack of knowledge about STI diagnosis/treatment, and confidential STI services. How do we bridge the gap between availability and apparent lack of utilization by teens in need of confidential services to prevent STI's and their long term sequelae? One strategy that has been overlooked is the engagement of parents in a partnership with the teen and the provider to effectively guide the developing adolescent towards becoming a responsible and confident adult consumer of health services, especially regarding STI prevention and care including confidential services. Before developing the parental component to a broad-based effort aimed at decreasing the STI rate, especially C. trachomatis, it is important to examine parental knowledge and attitudes towards confidential STI health services for teens and how these might influence parental intention to facilitate their adolescent's accessing appropriate preventive care for STIs. We propose a multi-method research design in 2 phases. Phase 1 comprises a qualitative format (focus groups, 1:1 semi-structured interviews) designed to yield data on parental knowledge and attitudes about confidential STI related health care services for teens. Findings from Phase 1 will then inform Phase 2, a quantitative cross-sectional survey of a random sample of ethnically diverse parents of 12-17 yo teens designed to examine the following questions. First, how does parental knowledge and attitudes about STI confidential care for teens vary according: (a) the adolescent's age and gender;and (b) the specific parental characteristics, e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, insurance status, education, religiosity. Secondly, how does parental knowledge and attitudes about confidential care for teens affect parental behavioral intentions to facilitate their teen's gaining knowledge and skills to be able to access STI preventive confidential services. This research would inform investigations how to strengthen the role of parents and encourage partnerships between health care providers and parents to ultimately improve the health outcomes for teens.Project Narrative: This study will provide new and important information regarding parental knowledge and attitudes of confidential STI and related health care services (prevention, diagnosis and treatment) for teens that may be needed to address the STI epidemic. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, this study will gather information necessary to develop effective interventions aimed at the often neglected parent component of the teen-parent health care provider partnership by giving parents knowledge and skills to help them facilitate their adolescent's access to confidential STI services as needed.
| Tebb, Kathleen P; Pollack, Lance M; Millstein, Shana et al. (2014) Mothers' attitudes toward adolescent confidential services: development and validation of scales for use in English- and Spanish-speaking populations. J Adolesc Health 55:341-6 |
| Hartman, Lauren B; Shafer, Mary-Ann; Pollack, Lance M et al. (2013) Parental acceptability of contraceptive methods offered to their teen during a confidential health care visit. J Adolesc Health 52:251-4 |
| Tebb, Kathleen; Hernandez, Liz Karime; Shafer, Mary-Ann et al. (2012) Understanding the attitudes of Latino parents toward confidential health services for teens. J Adolesc Health 50:572-7 |
