Perceived Social Support, Parental Notification, and Parental Engagement after Pelvic Inflammatory Disease among Urban Adolescent and Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Urban adolescent and young adult women often require adult support throughout
their transition to adulthood particularly regarding seeking healthcare. While confidentiality
is crucial feature of care delivery, successful adherence to treatment can be multi-factorial.
The purpose of this study is to determine factors associated with parental notification and
engagement in self-care of young women diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
Methods: This study utilizes data from 187 participants in the Technology Enhanced Community
Health Nursing (TECH-N) study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an intervention to
prevent recurrent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) after a diagnosis of mild-moderate PID.
Participants were recruited from pediatric ambulatory settings provided baseline demographic,
reproductive history, and perceived social support using an audio computerized self-interview
at baseline and parental notification collected during a two-week follow-up interview, served
as the primary outcome.
Results: Sixty-five percent of participants informed a parent of their PID diagnosis, 74%
of whom reported receiving supportive care. Participants who reported a higher sense of
responsibility to others were 17% less likely to inform a parent of their diagnosis.
Conclusion: Most urban young women with PID notify parents of their diagnosis and obtain
support for self-management in the outpatient setting. While autonomy is a critical milestone
for transition to young adulthood, these data suggest that proactive youth-managed parental
engagement may be an underutilized resource for young women diagnosed with PID.