Abstract
A group in the Healthcare Department has submitted a proposal to research teenage sexual behaviour and use of a local clinic providing sexual advice to teenagers.
The clinic has been set up to provide sexual health advice, including contraception, because studies have found that teenagers are reluctant to approach family GPs out of concern that their parents will be informed, despite the fact that GPs are bound by Fraser Guidelines not to inform teenagers’ parents unless the teenager consents or the young person is at risk of harm. The clinic is in an area with a high incidence of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
The research aims to identify methods of improving awareness of the clinic’s services and its effectiveness in reducing risky sexual activity (i.e. pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections). Questions to be explored will be:
How did the young person find out about the clinic?
Why did they attend the clinic rather than consult their GP?
Are they aware of the Fraser Guidelines and so that their GP would normally provide the same advice or treatment confidentially?
Have they used the free condoms distributed by the clinic?
Have they used oral contraceptives or implants if they are female?
How has access to the clinic’s services affected their sexual behaviour? Has it decreased or increased their sexual encounters?
Have they been tested for sexually transmitted diseases? Have they been diagnosed with such a disease and, if so, how has this affected their sexual behaviour?
What were the reasons that they decided to engage in sexual activity? One of the intentions here is to establish how much sexual activity is coerced.
Are their parents aware that they are attending the clinic or aware that they are sexually active?
Has the intake of illegal drugs or alcohol influenced their sexual activity?
The research team will provide information leaflets at the clinic in order to recruit participants and will request the young person’s consent to view their records at the clinic if the person is willing to participate in the study. This will enable the research team to establish whether the participants make full disclosures of their activity to staff at the clinic. If there is a discrepancy between records and answers provided to the research team, the young person will be asked why they did not feel able to disclose the information to the clinic’s staff. Participants will be interviewed two to four times over the period of a year to track changes in behaviour in response to advice or treatment provided, and interviews will be carried out when the young person has a scheduled appointment at the clinic or at some other time by agreement with the young person but always on the clinic’s premises.
Confidentiality will be assured – no participants will be identified by name, and in writing up material for publication every effort will be made to exclude direct quotations that could identify individuals. All researchers will have CRB clearance and experience of research with young people. Parents will not be involved – the young person themselves will be asked for consent.
Questions for discussion
Would you approve this study?
Would you request any changes prior to approval?
Is it ethically and legally permissible to gain consent without parental approval?
Please submit answers or comments to Georgia Testa (