Abstract
Confidentiality protections are a key component of high-quality adolescent sexual
and reproductive health (SRH) care. Research has shown that adolescents value confidentiality
and are more likely to seek care and provide honest information when confidentiality
protections are implemented. However, many adolescents do not receive confidential
SRH care. We synthesize studies of adolescents, parents, and providers to identify
confidentiality-related factors that may explain why adolescents do not seek care
or receive confidential services when they do access care. We present themes relevant
to each population that address individual-level knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors,
as well as clinic-level characteristics such as protocols, billing mechanisms, and
clinic type. These findings have the potential to inform intervention efforts to improve
the delivery of confidential SRH care for young people.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 18, 2019
Accepted:
March 26,
2019
Received:
December 19,
2018
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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© 2019 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.
