PARENTS, PEERS, AND THE ACQUISITION OF AN STD - DEVELOPMENTAL-CHANGESIN GIRLS

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship bet ween age and number of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) episodes in sexually active girls with their perceptions of the interpersonal imp lications of STD acquisition. Methods: The sample consisted of 248 gir ls (mean age = 16.9 years); 74% had an STD history. Adolescents respon ded to statements using a five-point Likert stale regarding their inte rpersonal expectations, and rated the perceived prevalence of STD amon g their friends and among all adolescents. Results: The results of log istic regression analyses indicated that older girls were less likely to tell their parents but did not perceive parental support differentl y than younger girls. Older girls were more likely to tell their partn ers and to be more embarrassed by the acquisition. Those with a greate r number of STD episodes perceived the acquisition as a less negative event. Girls with a greater number of STD episodes perceived the preva lence of STD to be significantly greater among their friends and among all adolescents than those girls with fewer episodes. Overall, the pe rceived prevalence among friends (40%) was significantly lower than th e perceived prevalence among teens in general (74%). Conclusions: Futu re research and practice in aiding adolescent girls to manage STD acqu isition must incorporate developmental theory, and, when appropriate, methods to involve families while preserving privacy.