Predicting Youths’ Adherence to Treatment and Retention in Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Interventions

Abstract

Internal and external validity are threatened when subjects fail to complete an intervention and when they are lost at follow-ups. Accordingly, researchers and intervention staff continually strive to identify predictors of attrition and non-compliance. The present study investigated the success of models that incorporate program, family, and individual characteristic variables in predicting treatment adherence and retention at six months in a sample of 1319 youth who participated in an abstinence-only intervention, as well as the relative importance of the predictors in explaining retention and adherence among Hispanic and non-Hispanic youth. The findings indicated that the likelihood of completing the intervention was greater for youths whose mothers or someone who functioned as a mother did not work. The effect of this predictor was consistent across all models in which it was tested. In addition, youth who planned to have sex were more likely to withdraw from the intervention than were youth for whom the opposite was true. Youth satisfaction with the intervention successfully predicted the likelihood of completion. Retention at six months was influenced by youth completing the intervention, having a non-working mother, and being satisfied with the program. Results from the discriminant analyses suggested that the predictors varied in importance for Hispanics and non-Hispanics. For Hispanics, having a non-working mother and satisfaction with the intervention were critical to their decisions to complete the intervention and to return for the six-month follow-up. For non-Hispanics, parental attitudes regarding sex, youths' intentions to have sex, and youths' gender were significant predictors.

Information for children and young people about reporting suspected adverse drug reactions

“…Across the teenage years, a transition from dependence on parents/carers to full independence across all aspects of life occurs, and this includes health. For healthcare professionals, this has historically focused on ensuring continuity of disease management, such as stressing the importance of adherence to treatment16–18 and transition to adult services 19. The current UK National Curriculum for secondary school age children specifically mentions that CYP should have ‘specific awareness of the dangers of drugs which are prescribed but still present serious health risks’20 but does not include any specific guidance on what CYP should do in the event they are concerned about a suspected ADR.…”