Consultant choice across decision contexts: Are abortion decisions different?

Differences among four types of decisions (abortion, medical, future oriented, and interpersonal) were explored by presenting vignettes to 169 adolescents 18 through 20 years of age. Participants ranked potential consultants including specific family members, significant others, friends, and various professionals on eight decisions. Analyses of the frequency and order of consultation of each consultee's advice were performed for all decisions. Consultation patterns for each type of decision differed, thus indicating that the choice of consultants was a function of the type of decision. These findings indicate that for late adolescents different consultants were seen as useful for making abortion decisions when compared to making medical, future-oriented or interpersonal decisions. Given that the consultation patterns for these decisions were unique, research on decision making should address the role of context and avoid assumptions of generalizability. Details of the frequency and order of consultation for each type of decision are provided.