Abstract
This study examines two issues relevant to adolescents' self-reported sexual and contraceptive use behaviors: reliability of partner-reverent reports versus 3- and 6-month reports, and test-retest reliability of reports completed over a 2-week period. Data are from 196 13- to 18-year-old girls recruited into this study while they sought reproductive care from health clinics in a metropolitan area. All participants reported having had sexual intercourse during the past 6 months. Twice over a 2-week interval, participants completed the same paper-and-pencil surveys. The survey presented questions about sexual behavior and contraceptive use using 3 sequential frames of reference: within the past 6 months, within the past 3 months, and by specific sexual partners in the past 6 months. Findings demonstrate that adolescent girls can reliably report sexual behavior and contraceptive use over a 6-month interval. Study findings have implications for future research utilizing adolescents' self-reported sexual and contraceptive use behaviors.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 159-166 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Sex Research |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2005 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by grant #U48/CCU513331, the National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Research Center, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
