Adolescents at Risk
Three million adolescents get an STD each year. To truly appreciate the incidence of STDs among adolescents, you need to remember that the STD rate is usually recorded in rates per 1,000 people. Of these 1,000 adolescents, only about half may be sexually active. This is a much higher rate than those recorded among 1,000 adults, of whom most are sexually active. There are many factors that place adolescents at increased risk to acquire an STD and can be divided into biological, behavioral, and social risk factors.
Biological Risk Factors
Biological risk factors can be attributed to the cellular changes that occur in the cervix as a young woman matures. Until young adulthood, the surface of the cervix is made up of what are called columnar epithelial cells; as the young woman grows, these cells are replaced by squamous cells. Columnar cells are much more susceptible to STD infection. Another biological risk factor is the immature local immunity and low number of
antibodies to STDs among most young people. Because of these factors, a teen’s contact with gonorrhea is more likely to result in an infection.
Behavioral Risk Factors
Behavioral risk factors have to do with the things young people may do that make them more susceptible to gonorrhea. Adolescents have higher rates of infections with no symptoms;
therefore, they are less likely than adults to seek treatment. In addition, they are frequently unaware that many infections may be asymptomatic and therefore falsely assume that it is safe to have sexual intercourse without a condom if the partner does not show any symptoms of disease. Other behavioral risk factors for the acquisition of STDs include multiple sexual partners and inconsistent condom use. Adolescents report that they do not use condoms because they believe their sexual partners will react negatively to the request for the use of a condom. They would rather take the risk of getting a disease than risk rejection from a partner. Sexual intercourse without a condom is mistakenly seen as an indication of love and loyalty.
Social Risk Factors
Social risk factors are related to barriers to access to health care for adolescents. Without prompt diagnosis and treatment of infections, the infected partner pool gets larger. Adolescents may not seek care because of fear that their parents or guardians will be notified of the results of the testing. Since 1975, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, adolescents have been able to obtain confidential testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. Yet only about one-third of adolescents are aware of this legal right. Access to care is also limited because adolescents are often uninsured or underinsured, and are unable to pay for the services they need for STD diagnosis and treatment.
Who Is at Risk?
Specific groups of adolescents are at increased risk; those in the juvenile justice system have the highest rate, probably because of a clustering of risk factors. Any adolescent with a history of ever having had a STD is more likely to contract another STD. Homeless and runaway youths are at increased risk of all STDs because of a lack of medical care for themselves and their partner pool. Trading sex for money and shelter also puts these young people at risk. Gay and lesbian youths also have higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases.
These adolescents tend to have an earlier age of sexual initiation and engage in higher-risk sexual activity with multiple partners and without condoms. Because gonorrhea can lead to some devastating consequences
if not properly treated, it is essential for all people and teens in particular—to understand the disease and help
stop its spread.
Read More : Gonorrhae Risk Factors
