Contraceptive Decision-Making Among Adolescent Girls

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Abstract
This study investigated the contraceptive decision-making processes of 132 sexually active 15 to 19 year old girls. The subjects completed a questionnaire designed to elicit information on their assessment of 1) the personal and social costs of contraceptive use; 2) the personal and social benefits of pregnancy; and 3) their biological ability to become pregnant. The only questionnaire item which significantly predicted contraceptive use was the girl's assessment of the financial costs related to contraceptive use. The study confirmed that many teenagers grossly underestimate their own fertility, but this trend was noted in both users and nonusers of contraception. The study concludes that the process which adolescents use in deciding whether or not to use contraception is extremely complex, and still not well understood.

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