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[Principal decisional factors relating to contraceptive usage in adolescents].


 A review of the literature in preparation for a study of the factors influencing sexually active female adolescents to use or not use contraception suggested several independent variables: 1) perceptions of sexuality and pregnancy 2) perceptions of contraception 3) sexual history 4) knowledge of contraception and the body 5) self-esteem, and 6) locus of control, or perception of the degree to which an individual controls his own health through his behavior. 122 young women aged 16-18 attending a school in the Estrie region of Quebec completed a 60-item semistructured questionnaire incorporating the 6 independent variables. The dependent variable was contraception usage. Respondents were divided into 3 groups, sexually active contraceptive users, sexually active nonusers, and nonsexually active nonusers. A French translation of the "Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale" was used to measure the respondents' level of self-esteem. A translation of version A of the "Multidimensional Health Locus of Control" was used to determine the origin of the adolescents' locus of control. Multivariate analysis of the results indicated that perceptions of sex, pregnancy, and contraception have the greatest influence on the decision to use contraception. Knowledge of the body and of contraception, the level of self-esteem, and the origin of the locus of control did not differ significantly in the 3 groups and do not appear to influence the contraception decision. The sexual histories of contraceptive users and nonusers were found to differ. Contraceptive users had more active and more organized sex lives, and their parents appeared to be better informed and more approving of their sexual activity. Contraceptive users tended to discuss sexuality and contraception more often with friends than with their families. The first criterion in choice of method for contraceptive users was to avoid having to plan sexual relations, while nonusers stated ease of use as their first criterion.
