Parental knowledge and attitudes of confidential STI services for teens

描述（由申请人提供）： 青少年获得性传播感染保密服务的机会，随着时间的推移，通过法律和政策途径建立的隐私保护得到了保证。然而，性传播感染在青年中的流行依然存在，部分原因是许多性传播感染基本上没有症状，仍然未被发现，并继续在不知不觉中传播。此外，许多青少年不愿意获得性传播感染服务，原因是尴尬、害怕被披露、缺乏关于性传播感染诊断/治疗的知识以及保密的性传播感染服务。我们如何弥合青少年在需要保密服务以预防性传播感染及其长期后遗症方面的可用性和明显缺乏利用之间的差距？一项被忽视的战略是，让父母与青少年和服务提供者结成伙伴关系，有效地引导成长中的青少年成为一个负责任和有信心的成年保健服务消费者，特别是在性传播感染预防和护理方面，包括保密服务。在发展父母的组成部分，以广泛的努力，旨在降低STI率，特别是C。因此，重要的是要检查家长的知识和态度，保密的性传播感染的卫生服务，为青少年，以及如何这些可能会影响家长的意图，以方便他们的青少年获得适当的预防性传播感染的护理。我们提出了一个多方法的研究设计分2个阶段。第一阶段包括一个定性的格式（焦点小组，1：1半结构化访谈），旨在产生的数据，家长的知识和态度的保密性传播感染相关的卫生保健服务的青少年。第一阶段的调查结果将为第二阶段提供信息，第二阶段是对12-17岁青少年的不同种族父母进行随机抽样的定量横断面调查，旨在研究以下问题。首先，父母对青少年性传播感染保密护理的知识和态度如何根据以下因素而变化：（a）青少年的年龄和性别;（B）父母的具体特征，例如，性别、种族/民族、保险状况、教育、宗教信仰。第二，父母对青少年保密照顾的知识和态度如何影响父母的行为意图，以促进他们的青少年获得知识和技能，能够获得性病预防保密服务。这项研究将为调查如何加强父母的作用，并鼓励卫生保健提供者和父母之间的伙伴关系，以最终改善青少年的健康结果提供信息。 这项研究将提供新的和重要的信息，家长的知识和态度的保密性传播感染和相关的医疗保健服务（预防，诊断和治疗）的青少年，可能需要解决性传播感染的流行。使用定性和定量的方法，这项研究将收集必要的信息，以制定有效的干预措施，针对往往被忽视的家长组成的青少年-父母的医疗保健提供者的伙伴关系，让父母的知识和技能，以帮助他们方便他们的青少年获得保密的性传播感染服务的需要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Teens' access to confidential services for sexually transmitted infections (STI's) has been assured over time by privacy protections established through statutory and policy routes. Yet, the STI epidemic among youth persists, in part, because many STI's are largely asymptomatic, remain undetected and continue to be transmitted unknowingly. Also, many teens are reluctant to obtain STI services due to embarrassment, fear of disclosure, lack of knowledge about STI diagnosis/treatment, and confidential STI services. How do we bridge the gap between availability and apparent lack of utilization by teens in need of confidential services to prevent STI's and their long term sequelae? One strategy that has been overlooked is the engagement of parents in a partnership with the teen and the provider to effectively guide the developing adolescent towards becoming a responsible and confident adult consumer of health services, especially regarding STI prevention and care including confidential services. Before developing the parental component to a broad-based effort aimed at decreasing the STI rate, especially C. trachomatis, it is important to examine parental knowledge and attitudes towards confidential STI health services for teens and how these might influence parental intention to facilitate their adolescent's accessing appropriate preventive care for STIs. We propose a multi-method research design in 2 phases. Phase 1 comprises a qualitative format (focus groups, 1:1 semi-structured interviews) designed to yield data on parental knowledge and attitudes about confidential STI related health care services for teens. Findings from Phase 1 will then inform Phase 2, a quantitative cross-sectional survey of a random sample of ethnically diverse parents of 12-17 yo teens designed to examine the following questions. First, how does parental knowledge and attitudes about STI confidential care for teens vary according: (a) the adolescent's age and gender; and (b) the specific parental characteristics, e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, insurance status, education, religiosity. Secondly, how does parental knowledge and attitudes about confidential care for teens affect parental behavioral intentions to facilitate their teen's gaining knowledge and skills to be able to access STI preventive confidential services. This research would inform investigations how to strengthen the role of parents and encourage partnerships between health care providers and parents to ultimately improve the health outcomes for teens.Project Narrative: This study will provide new and important information regarding parental knowledge and attitudes of confidential STI and related health care services (prevention, diagnosis and treatment) for teens that may be needed to address the STI epidemic. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, this study will gather information necessary to develop effective interventions aimed at the often neglected parent component of the teen-parent health care provider partnership by giving parents knowledge and skills to help them facilitate their adolescent's access to confidential STI services as needed.