Public expectations concerning confidentiality protection of adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health care in Lithuania: Findings of the surveys conducted in 2005 and 2012

Abstract

Objective An adolescent's right to confidential healthcare is protected by international law and professional consensus. However, parental and social support for confidential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, in particular, varies greatly. This study documents Lithuanian residents’ expectations with regard to confidentiality protection for adolescents in this domain, and explores the factors related to the diversity of these expectations.

Methods Two national surveys of Lithuanian residents completed in 2005 and 2012 using anonymous questionnaires. Participants rated their expectations for confidentiality using a five-point Likert scale for eight types of SRH consultations.

Results Public anticipation for confidentiality depended on whether issues related to sexual behaviour or to its consequences were addressed during adolescent consultation. Only younger respondents had higher expectations for confidentiality in both contexts. Public expectations regarding confidentiality were less demanding in 2012 than in 2005.

Conclusions The expectation of confidentiality protection was greater for topics related to sexual behaviour than for the consequences of sexual behaviour, such as pregnancy, abortion or a sexually transmitted infection. This implies a need for targeted information strategies for the general population and explicit guidance for physicians on when and for whom care should remain confidential.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• Confidentiality
• Public opinion
• Sexual and reproductive health services
• Lithuania

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank the market analysis and survey agency UAB RAIT for administering the questionnaires in both surveys.

Funding: The survey in 2005 was financed by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) through the Umbrella Project for Lithuania 2005. The latter was monitored by the Lithuanian office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The survey in 2012 was financed by the Lithuanian College of General Practitioners.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and the writing of the paper.