Contraception

 Social disparities in the receipt of contraceptive services were assessed among a sample of 2,031 sexually experienced adolescent females 15 to 18 years of age using secondary data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Findings revealed no social disparities in receipt of contraceptive services; rather, adolescent females who had a parent with less than a high school degree were more likely to receive contraceptive services.

BACKGROUND: Sexual risk taking during adolescence such as failure to use contraception or condoms is associated with premature parenthood and high rates of sexually transmitted infection. The relation of childhood personality to sexual risk taking during adolescence has been largely unexplored. METHODS: Using data collected from participants in the Child Sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (CS-NLSY) when they were 5 or 6 years of age (time 1) and 17 or 18 years of age (time 2), the relation of childhood personality to sexual risk taking during adolescence was investigated.