Adolescent Time Alone With a Provider: Adolescent-Mother Dyads' Perspectives on Its Role to Support Emerging Autonomy

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Medicine
• Healthcare Provider-Patient Relationship
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends private time for adolescents with healthcare providers.
• This private time is crucial for open communication and may offer developmental benefits.
• However, support for dedicated adolescent-only time during medical visits is declining.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the perspectives of adolescent-mother dyads on the benefits and challenges of private time with healthcare providers.
• To understand how this private time impacts adolescent autonomy and the provider relationship.
• To identify potential developmental advantages of dedicated adolescent-provider interaction.

Main Methods:

• 11 adolescent-mother dyads from an adolescent medicine clinic participated.
• Semistructured joint interviews were conducted, focusing on the private visit time.
• Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using iterative coding.

Main Results:

• Adolescents (aged 13-20) and mothers primarily identified as White or Hispanic.
• Dyads reported that private time enhanced adolescent autonomy in medical decision-making.
• Concerns were raised about adolescent discomfort and inexperience potentially hindering self-advocacy.

Conclusions:

• Private time with medical providers promotes adolescent autonomy and aids the transition from pediatric to adult care.
• Open communication about the developmental purpose of this time can mitigate concerns.
• This approach supports emerging autonomy and can improve self-advocacy skills.