Adolescents' Views Regarding Sexual History Taking

Abstract

To address the health needs of adolescents, health care providers need to understand adolescent perceptions of the sexual history taking process. Adolescents (n=1 13) were recruited from two sources of health care to complete a questionnaire regarding sexual history taking issues. The results revealed that there were differences in demographics, practice characteristics, and communication strategies between the private office and the hospital clinic. Attitudes and beliefs related to the discussion of sensitive issues were similar. Most adolescents would like health care providers to discuss sensitive topics directly. It is important for health care providers to feel comfortable initiating discussion of sensitive issues directly.

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