Individual, interpersonal, and relationship factors predicting hormonal and condom use consistency among adolescent girls.

INTRODUCTION: Few existing studies have considered influences of adolescents' sexual partners on contraceptive consistency. This study examines the influence of personal characteristics, partner characteristics, and relationship factors on consistency of contraceptive use among an ethnically diverse sample of adolescent girls at high risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. METHOD: Data are from 110 sexually active 13- to 17-year-old girls participating in a clinic-based intervention study aimed at reducing sexual risk behaviors. Personal characteristics were assessed at baseline (T1), and partner and relationship characteristics were assessed at 12 months (T2). RESULTS: Multivariate analyses revealed that T2 hormonal contraceptive consistency was predicted by T1 hormonal consistency, girls' desire to use birth control, having the same sexual partner at T1 and T2, perceived partner support for birth control, and communication with partner about sexual risk. T2 condom use consistency was negatively predicted by emergency contraceptive use history and perceived partner support for birth control. DISCUSSION: Findings underscore the importance of nurses addressing both personal and relationship factors in their efforts to promote consistent contraceptive use among sexually active adolescent girls.

Prospective reciprocal relations between physical activity and depression in female adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Although an inverse correlation between physical activity and depression among adolescents has been found in research, this relation has seldom been examined prospectively. Thus, we tested whether physical activity reduces risk for future escalations in depression and whether depression decreases likelihood of future change in physical activity. METHOD: Data from a longitudinal study involving annual assessments of 496 adolescent girls (mean age = 13 years, SD = 0.73) followed over a 6-year period were analyzed to address these questions. RESULTS: Using analyses that controlled for several covariates, we found that physical activity significantly reduced risk for future increases in depressive symptoms and risk for onset of major-minor depression. Further, depressive symptoms and major-minor depression significantly reduced future physical activity. However, predictive effects were modest for both. CONCLUSIONS: Results support a bidirectional relation between exercise and depression and imply that interventions that increase physical activity may reduce risk for depression among this high-risk population.