INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES WITH ADOLESCENTS IN PRIMARY-CARE

Purpose: Privacy is of utmost concern to adolescents seeking advice re garding life-style and behavior choices. Lack of privacy and confident ial health services are barriers to adolescents' access to health care . This study describes primary care physicians' practices with regard to inviting parent(s) to leave the room in order to interview the teen alone, and the factors associated with use of this technique. Method: A cross-sectional random survey of 1,630 pediatricians, internists, a nd family practitioners in a large metropolitan area was performed usi ng a confidential mailed questionnaire. Results: The majority of the p hysicians were in private practice, male, board certified, Caucasian, and did not have a subspecialty. Forty-nine percent of the respondents ''almost always'' or ''always'' invite parent(s) to leave the room in order to interview the teen alone. Physicians who were female, board certified, and completed residency from 1974-94 were most likely to us e this technique. Among physicians who frequently employ this strategy , the decision to interview the teen alone varied according to the cli nical scenario. Using logistic regression analysis, only gender and bo ard certification were significantly related to use of this interviewi ng method. Conclusion: A large proportion of physicians do not intervi ew their adolescent patients alone, therefore, not affording them priv acy to discuss confidential health concerns. Future research should fo cus on developing and validating methods to teach physicians skills to interview adolescents privately. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1997.