Abstract
There is an inadequate understanding of the psychological issues surrounding the diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases in adolescents. The differential impact of acquiring cervical dysplasia was compared to acute gonococcal/chlamydial infections, evaluating 1) level of psychopathology and 2) intrusive or avoidant thoughts. Impact of diagnosis for the diseases was assessed as a function of time since diagnosis, and as a function of level of psychopathology. Two scales, the Brief Symptom Inventory and the Impact of Events, were completed by 33 adolescents with cervical dysplasia, and 33 female adolescents with gonorrhea and/or chlamydia. The levels of psycho-pathology in either group were no greater than expected from normative samples. Those adolescents identified as psychological “cases” reported more avoidant thoughts. Length of time since diagnosis was not significantly related for either dysplasia or gonorrhea/Chlamydia subjects regarding intrusive or avoidant thoughts. The more common frequency of avoidant (rather than intrusive) thoughts raises issues about coping mechanisms in distressed adolescents.
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