OBJECTIVE: To determine if age of the sex partner and other factors increase the risk for PID. As has been reported in the adolescent HIV literature, older sex partners tend to be more sexually experienced and thus be more likely to have a sexually transmitted disease (s). DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was performed from 1994 to 1996 in an inner city hospital. A sample of 50 in-patient adolescents with PID, and a control group of 39 sexually active adolescents without PID, answered a confidential questionnaire about their risk taking behaviors. Established criteria were used for the clinical diagnosis of PID. T-tests, Chi-square, and Step-wise Logistic Regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: The majority of patients were African American from low socio-economic backgrounds. Mean ages for the two groups are presented below: Table
Those with PID were significantly more likely than those without PID to: have a younger age at first sex (p=0.05), have been involved with a child protection agency (38% vs. 10%, p=0.006), have a prior suicide attempt (30% vs. 10%, p=0.04), and have a chlamydia infection (28% vs. 5%,p=0.01). Logistic regression indicated that those teens with a prior suicide attempt, chlamydia infection, and prior involvement with a child protection agency were, respectively, 13.5X, 8X, and 5.6X more likely to have PID. There were no differences between the two groups with regard to: age of the current sex partner, number of sex partners, condom use, rape, drug or alcohol use, syphilis, hepatitis B, C, or HIV infection. CONCLUSION: As in other studies, earlier age at first sex and chlamydia infection were associated with PID. However, despite the partner being an average of two years older in both groups, PID was not associated with older sex partners. Also, not previously mentioned is the association of PID with prior involvement in a child protection agency and a prior suicide attempt.
