Anticipatory guidance regarding sex: Views of virginal female adolescents

Purpose: To explore virginal female adolescents' perceptions of potential discussions with physicians regarding sexuality. Methods: Twenty-seven virginal female adolescents from an urban high school completed a semistructured interview that explored perceptions of: (1) physicians as resources for discussions about sexuality; (2) content of potential sexuality discussions with physicians; and (3) risks and benefits of sexuality discussions with physicians. The relative emphasis of responses across the sample are described by mean proportional scores (MPS). Results: Health care professionals were spontaneously identified by 33% of participants as potential resources for discussions about sexuality issues. Participants' perceptions of the potential content of sexuality discussions with physicians emphasized prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (MPS = .37), and physician counseling (MPS = .22). These topics included alternatives to sex and sex refusal skills. The perceived benefits of such discussions were gaining information or assistance regarding pregnancy and STI prevention (MPS = .32), talking with an expert (MPS = .19), and having a supportive relationship with a caring adult (MPS = .16). Lack of confidentiality was perceived as the major risk of adolescent-physician sexuality discussions (MPS = .29). Conclusion: Virginal female adolescents perceive a range of topics regarding sexuality as appropriate for discussions with physicians. This should be considered when providing anticipatory guidance counseling to virginal patients regarding sex. Concerns about confidentiality need to be addressed.