Paul A. Reichelt

Coital and contraceptive behavior of female adolescents

Structured interviews conducted with 532 female clients of a teen contraceptive clinic revealed a moderate level of coital activity (in terms of both frequency of intercourse and number of partners) which typically began at age 15. Prior use of contraception was sporadic and almost exclusively confined to nonprescription methods. Primary reasons for nonuse of birth control included fear of lessening the pleasure of intercourse and lack of access to contraception. The data indicate that a combination of comprehensive sex education and ready access to birth control is necessary to prevent unintended adolescent pregnancy.

Changes in sexual behavior among unmarried teenage women utilizing oral contraception

213 teen-age women were interviewed both before and 1-year following receiving oral contraception (OC) from the Teen Center a facility operated by the Planned Parenthood League of a large midwestern city in order to examine the belief that the provision of contraception will result in greatly increased sexual activity among adolescents. During the year the mean number of current sex partners remained at 1.1 while mean frequency of coitus increased moderately from 4.3 to 6.8 times per month. The majority of the young women consistently used the OCs throughout the year and the majority of those who discontinued OC use for a time during the year used an alternative birth control method or were sexually inactive. The study results taken in conjunction with other research support the conclusion that providing adolescents with effective contraception will not markedly alter their sexual behavior. The most straightforward answer to whether obtaining OC influences the behavior of sexually experienced unmarried adolescent women would be obtained from a study utilizing a random sample from this population and a truly experimental design.

Organizational factors in discharge planning.

The authors, who surveyed 14 Chicago hospitals to learn how discharge planning was planned for and carried out, describe four models for discharge planning. Nursing administrators will find the qualitative discussion of study results and their implications useful in structuring discharge planning in their own institutions.

Two measures of nurses' attitudes toward abortion as modified by experience.

Random samples of nurses in two states which differed in abortion statutes were sent questionnaires. Content areas included experience with 12 specific nursing activities associated with abortion, willingness to participate in the same activities, and extent of agreement with statements related to abortion. Attitudes toward abortion were inferred from the willingness-to-participate items and from the agreement section. These two measures correlated highly suggesting a common underlying dimension. However, the two samples differed significantly in extent of agreement but did not differ in willingness to participate. These results were interpreted as supporting the position that attitudes derived from items using situational contexts might bear a better relationship to behavior. The findings also suggest that abortion facilities can probably be staffed without violating personal preferences since so many expressed willingness to participate in at least some of the activities. Comparison across the two samples suggest that increased experience or even the potential for experience with abortion patients tended to increase the favorableness of attitudes toward this issue.

Chief Nurse Executive Incentive Compensation

More and more chief nurse executives (CNEs) are receiving incentive compensation plans. The authors report trends in incentive compensation and discuss what 184 CNEs in multihospital systems said about their incentive compensation plan.

Social work attitudes toward birth control for teenagers.

The current high level of teenage sexual activity has important consequences for the psychological and social well-being of both individuals and the community. Because social workers often have professional contact with teenagers who are in need of contraceptive services, a nationwide survey was conducted to ascertain the attitudes of social work faculty and students toward birth control for teenagers. Both students and faculty were found to have positive attitudes. They are willing to provide service in this area within the bounds suggested by a realistic assessment of their preparation for this field of activity.

Factors to Consider in Staffing an Abortion Facility

Data from 457 Michigan nurses concerning willingness to participate in specific nursing activities associated with abortion suggest that abortion facilities can be staffed without violating preferences of individual nurses. In service programs to offset experiential and educational deficiencies are recommended.