Teenagers, Sex and Contraception

Abstract

Since 1967 Planned Parenthood in San Francisco and Oakland has operated Teen Clinics which provide sex education, contraception, pregnancy and VD testing on a drop-in basis for girls under the age of 18.1 These centers have been enthusiastically received by the teenagers; they are attended by 2,400 new young people each year, mainly nulliparae, three out of four of whom come in for contraceptive care, the rest for pregnancy testing. If the pregnancy tests are positive, the young women are referred for abortion or prenatal care, whichever they decide is appropriate; if negative, they are offered contraceptive services. Such a group of sexually active young girls has rarely been isolated either for service or for study. They represent three quite distinct groups: contraceptors acting openly and realistically to prevent unwanted births; those seeking abortion referral; and those continuing their out-ofwedlock pregnancies to term. A study was undertaken to explore the sexual knowledge, attitudes and contraceptive practices of girls in each group and to elucidate the possible differences among them. Girls in the first two groups were attending Planned Parenthood's San Francisco or Oakland Teen Centers while girls in the third group were residents of two Bay Area maternity homes, the Florence Crittenton Home in San Francisco and the Booth Memorial Home of the Salvation Army in Oakland. * The study was conducted between November 1969 and July 1970, by means of an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. All girls in the study were 17 years of age or younger and unwed. * The contraception group consisted of 210 consecutive never-pregnant new patients. * The abortion group consisted of 100 consecutive new patients seeking abortion counseling for a problem pregnancy.f * The maternity group consisted of 67 girls living at the two maternity homes. The questionnaire was given at six-week intervals over a five-month period to all new residents younger than 18 at these homes. The questionnaire asked 60 questions, to be answered with a check or short phrase, eliciting information on the girls' background characteristics, sexual knowledge and attitudes, and contraceptive use. It was usually completed in 20-35 minutes. The purposes of the questionnaire were explained to each respondent, individually or in a group. All new teenage patients arriving at Planned Parenthood during the study period were given the questionnaire, and only five percent failed to complete the form. It was given to each girl before she attended a discussion group, counseling session or medical examination. Girls at the two maternity homes were sampled each six weeks during the study period and, therefore, some girls had already had a substantial time in residence before answering. Background and Characteristics