Female Adolescent Communication About Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Abstract

Health researchers acknowledge a limited understanding of the social context of adolescents regarding their communication and decision making about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Using in-depth interviews, this study examines 18-year-old women regarding their self-concepts about STD communication, including their perceived and actual knowledge levels. Fifteen first-year college students from a Western university showed strong self-concepts and high perceived knowledge relative to sexual decision making and communication. The women's actual knowledge holding, however, was low. They demonstrated difficulty finding information from mediated sources with either high regard or mistrust of new information technologies for such information and limited use of interpersonal communication sources.