The relationship of self-concept and autonomy to oral contraceptive compliance among adolescent females.

Self-concept and autonomy are typically negotiated during adolescence, a time when many females also become sexually active. Nonuse and discontinuation of contraceptives by teenagers place them at high risk for pregnancy. The present study explores the relationship between these psychological factors and contraceptive noncompliance during adolescence. Fifty-five adolescent females beginning a contraceptive regimen were entered into the study. Compliance at four months after the initiation of an oral contraceptive was associated with scoring high on the Behavior Subscale of the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale and the Autonomy Scale modified from Eysenk.