Understanding the role of perceived severity in STD-related care-seeking delays

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.07.018

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume 37, Issue 1, July 2005, Pages 69-74

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.07.018 Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

To gain a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between perceived severity of symptoms and STD-related care-seeking behavior among adolescent African-American females in Baltimore City.

Methods

Twenty-one female adolescents were interviewed in depth to elicit their experiences with an STD in the previous 3 months. Comparisons were made between those who sought care on account of their symptoms and those who did not.

Results

High perceived seriousness about symptoms has both cognitive and emotional components that may function independently to either promote or delay STD-related care seeking.

Conclusions

Both cognitive and emotional responses to STD symptoms must be considered when examining the effect of perceived severity on adolescents’ STD-related care-seeking behaviors.

Section snippets

Study design, sampling, and recruitment

Sampling of participants was conducted using purposive techniques. Participants included 21 adolescents who were participating in a longitudinal study regarding their perceived risk for STDs; they had been previously recruited into the larger study from either the Johns Hopkins Teen clinic or a free municipal STD clinic, both located in Baltimore, MD. Eligibility criteria for the larger cohort study included English-speaking residents of Baltimore, between 14 and 19 years of age, who had

Description of the sample

A summary of participant’s characteristics is presented in Table 1. Participants’ ages ranged from 14 to 19 years with a mean age of 17.7 years. The mean educational level was grade 10.7. Seventy-six percent of participants reported that their mothers had a high school education or higher. Lifetime number of sex partners ranged from 1 to 27 with a median of 5 partners. Fifty-two percent reported having had a prior history of an STD and 38% have at least one child.

Table 2 outlines participants’

Discussion

Data from the current study are consistent with previous findings that a substantial proportion of symptomatic females who attend clinics delay STD-related care seeking by more than one week [2], [11], [12]. However, of grave concern is the large proportion of participants who potentially would have further delayed or perhaps not ever been tested had it not been for their participation in the parent study despite the presence of STD-related symptoms. The significance of this matter is bolstered

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID grant #AI36986). The authors sincerely thank all of the female adolescents who participated in this study. We also thank Eva Moore for her participation in this project.

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Original articleUnderstanding the role of perceived severity in STD-related care-seeking delays

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Section snippets

Study design, sampling, and recruitment

Description of the sample

Discussion

Acknowledgments

Soc Sci Med

J Adolesc Health

The Hidden EpidemicConfronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Health care seeking behaviors related to sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents

Am J Public Health

An application of the health belief model toward educational diagnosis for VD education

Health Educ Q

Seeking medical care for a sexually transmitted diseasedeterminants of delay-behavior

Psychol Health

Using the health belief model to examine and predict college women’s cervical cancer screening beliefs and behavior

Health Care Women Int

Original article
Understanding the role of perceived severity in STD-related care-seeking delays