A qualitative assessment of condom use decisions by female adolescents who use hormonal contraception.

Young women who use hormonal contraception are at increased risk of HIV. This study, based on the Health Belief Model, was designed to understand how adolescent women who use hormonal contraceptives make decisions about condom use. Thirty-nine young, minority women participated in open-ended interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed by both authors separately. The results suggest that barriers to condom use include use of a hormonal method of contraception, perceived trust in a partner, and a perception of the condom as "irritating." Facilitators for condom use included not being with a steady partner and fear of pregnancy and infection. The young women also suggested that being able to talk to their parents about condom use, having condoms widely available, and seeing HIV-prevention messages in many venues would increase their use of condoms. They noted that seeing young, HIV-positive women demographically similar to themselves would also prompt them to use condoms. Nurses should incorporate these factors into HIV-prevention interventions for adolescents.