Adolescents in foster care are at risk for unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV infection. A study using a qualitative method was conducted
to describe how and where foster youth receive reproductive health and risk reduction
information to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Participants
also were asked to describe their relationship with their primary health care provider
while they were in foster care. Nineteen young adults, recently emancipated from foster
care, participated in individual interviews. Using grounded theory as the method of
analysis, three thematic categories were generated: discomfort visiting and disclosing,
receiving and not receiving the bare essentials, and learning prevention from community
others. Recommendations include primary health care providers providing a confidential
space for foster youth to disclose sexual activity and more opportunities for foster
youth to receive reproductive and risk prevention information in the school setting.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 20, 2011
Footnotes
1No prior presentation.
2Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
