Adolescents and Their Parents Differ on Descriptions of a Reproductive Health Study

Study Objective: To understand how adolescents and parents describe a sexually transmitted infection prevention study to a friend. Design: Adolescents and parents participating in a study about willingness to participate in a hypothetical microbicide clinical trial were interviewed separately and asked to describe the clinical trial to a friend. Qualitative responses were written down verbatim and coded using a thematic framework analysis. Setting: Adolescent medicine clinics in New York City. Participants: The participants consisted of adolescents, 14-17 years old, and a parent (n = 301 dyads) who spoke English or Spanish. Most adolescents (72%) identified as Hispanic and 65% reported minimal sexual experience (ie, nothing more than kissing). Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: Qualitative responses were content coded for: (1) overall approach; (2) opinion rendered; and (3) details mentioned using thematic framework. The relationship of demographic characteristics, sexual history, and recruitment method to how adolescents and/or parents described the study was evaluated. Results: Adolescents (n = 293) differed from parents (n = 298) in their overall approach to describing the study (P < .01) with more adolescents than parents providing a "purpose with detail" (54% adolescents vs 31% parents) and less providing a "commentary" description (6% adolescents vs 28% parents). Fewer adolescents (25% of n = 301) provided an opinion compared with parents (75% of n = 301; P < .01). A greater proportion of adolescents (70% adolescents, n = 206; vs 48% parents, n = 144) provided a detail (P < .01). Adolescents provided a greater number of details than parents (P < .01). Conclusion: Adolescents in this sample were more focused on the details of the study. Parents were focused on their impression of the study. Adolescents and parents might need to be approached differently about reproductive health studies.