NCJ Number
200446
Journal
Journal for Juvenile Justice and Detention Services Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2002 Pages: 91-102
Date Published
2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study determined the reproductive health care needs of detained adolescent males and identified possible preventive measures for these individuals.
Abstract
A survey was conducted to assess the attitudes of detained adolescent males toward reproductive health care. The survey was conducted in a juvenile detention center in Western Pennsylvania. The survey questionnaire developed for the study consisted of 38 topics with multiple sub-questions. The survey guided one-on-one interviews with the male residents. Topics addressed included general demographics, modes of displaying affection, health care providers and facilities, knowledge of contraceptive methods, relationship history, elements of and motivations for sexual behavior, drug and alcohol use with sex, and discussions about sex. A total of 45 male residents agreed to be interviewed. Contrary to the study's hypothesis, most of the respondents reported that they received health care regularly. With the large percentage of African-American participants in this study, this is consistent with some studies that have suggested that African-American males and patients with Medicaid have better access to prevention services, such as reproductive care, than other males. In terms of contraceptive knowledge and experiences, the juveniles were most familiar with male and coitally dependent methods such as condoms, withdrawal, and spermicide. They had little knowledge about methods commonly used by female adolescents, such as pills, Depo-Provera, and emergency contraception. All residents who had experienced important relationships had been sexually active. The majority of sexually active residents did not believe that condom use "affected their relationships." Very few of the sexually active adolescents (15 percent) interviewed reported discussing sexually transmitted disease or pregnancy prevention with their partners. This suggests that both male and female adolescents need more experience with negotiating contraceptive use and discussing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases with their partners. One intervention that may be useful for young men in a juvenile detention facility is facilitated discussions about topics related to sexual health. 1 table and 32 references