Alternative methods in the investigation of adolescents' sexual life

Purpose: To describe two methodological approaches to surveying adolescents ' sexual life which were combined within a national survey. Methods: The questionnaire was designed during a 5-day workshop. Ten adoles cents played the roles of imaginary adolescents involved in different situa tions related to sexual life. The information obtained through the analysis of these role-plays was used to establish the sequence of the questions, t heir content and wording. The questionnaire was computerized so that it cou ld be completed by the adolescents using laptop computers, Its arborescent structure, leading each respondent from one module to another, made possibl e the adjustment of the questions to each respondent's stage of development and type of sexual experience. Results: A total of 4283 teenagers (2075 girls and 2208 boys, and 4 refusal s) 16-20 years were included. Only 7.6% did not fill in the whole questionn aire. By the age of 18 years, more than 50% of boys and girls were sexually active. Half of sexually active teenagers have discussed contraception iss ue before engaging in their first intercourse, but much fewer (14-35%) have discussed issues related to HIV transmission During their first sexual int ercourse, the majority of the respondents used a condom (girls, 63%; boys, 58%) or condom plus oral contraception (girls, 11%; boys, 17%). Conclusion: Youth participation and role-play decrease the conceptual biase s often associated with professionals' perceptions and bring tools enabling a better exploration of circumstances and negotiations surrounding the sex ual encounter. The computerized questionnaire increases confidentiality, at tractiveness, easy data collection, and, above all, adjustment of the quest ions to the respondent's level of experience. These methods could be more s ystematically used in surveys targeting sensitive issues related to adolesc ents' health. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1999.