Papers by Melanie A. Gold, DO, FAAP
Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 2020
Poster Presentations, 2019
Journal of American College Health, 2019
Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology, Jan 30, 2017
Little is known about the information shared during family discussions about sexuality. From a pu... more Little is known about the information shared during family discussions about sexuality. From a public health perspective, abstinence is one of the most important sexuality topics parents can talk with adolescents about. We sought to characterize the messages mothers communicate to young adolescents regarding abstinence. Content analysis of dyadic discussions that occurred between June 2011-December 2012 between mothers and their 10-14 years old adolescent sons and daughters. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and a grounded theory approach to content analysis performed. Urban city in Western Pennsylvania INTERVENTIONS: None MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: None PARTICIPANTS: 21 dyads - 15 mother-daughter dyads and 6 mother-son dyads RESULTS: Four key themes emerged reflecting the high priority mothers placed on abstinence, delaying their adolescent's sexual debut and nurturing sexual decision making skills. Theme 1 focused on ensuring that adolescents understand what abstinence...
Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 2017
Pediatrics in Review, 1994
There are no data to suggest that children who have gay or lesbian parents are different in any a... more There are no data to suggest that children who have gay or lesbian parents are different in any aspects of psychological, social, and sexual development from children in heterosexual families. There has been fear that children raised in gay or lesbian households will grow up to be homosexual, develop improper sex-role behavior or sexual conflicts, and may be sexually abused. There has been concern that children raised by gay or lesbian parents will be stigmatized and have conflicts with their peer group, thus threatening their psychological health, self-esteem, and social relationships. These fears and concerns have not been substantiated by research. Pediatricians can facilitate the health care and development of these children by being aware of these and their own attitudes, by educating themselves about special concerns of gay or lesbian parents, and by being a resource and an advocate for children who have homosexual parents.
Motivational Interviewing, 2014
Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 2000
Background: Female adolescents frequently practice unprotected vaginal intercourse leading to nea... more Background: Female adolescents frequently practice unprotected vaginal intercourse leading to nearly 1 million unintended pregnancies and 3 million sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) a year. Qualitative reasons for three contraceptive use patterns were explored. Contraceptive use patterns were quantified and correlated with gynecologic history.Methods: A total of 146 predominantly non-white (81%) sexually active female adolescents with a mean age of 17.2 +/- 1.9 years (13-21 years), completed a 45-minute self-administered, computerized questionnaire as part of a larger project. The questionnaire assessed sexual, contraceptive, gynecologic and obstetric history. Nearly a third (32%) had ever been pregnant and 32% had ever had a STD. Subjects were asked to describe their contraceptive use patterns for condoms, pills, and Depo-Provera as either "never used," "have used, but stopped," or "used before and am still using." Adolescents typed in their qualitative reasons for never using, stopping, or still using each of the three methods of contraception.Results:None of the three condom use patterns were significantly correlated with ever having a STD or being pregnant. Of those who had ever been pregnant, 70% had stopped using Depo-Provera as compared to 38% who were still using Depo-Provera, p < 0.02; 47% had stopped using pills as compared to 25% who were still using pills, p = 0.04; 47% had stopped using pills as compared to 22% who had never used pills, p < 0.01. "Using another contraceptive" was the reason why one-third of subjects never used condoms. The most common reasons for never using pills were "on Depo-Provera," "would forget," and not liking to take pills. Reasons for never using Depo-Provera included using another contraceptive, not liking shots and "might make me fat." The top four reasons for discontinuing condom use were being in a trusting, monogamous relationship, using another form of contraception, abstinence, and "don't like the way condoms feel." Two of the main reasons for stopping pills and Depo-Provera were weight gain and altered menses. However, those subjects who stopped taking the pill reported "kept forgetting" and "they made me sick" as other reasons for stopping. "Prevent pregnancy" was by far the most common reason for still using pills and Depo-Provera, while for condoms "prevent STDs" was cited with equal frequency to "prevent pregnancy." Having regular or no periods were frequent reasons for ongoing use of pills and Depo-Provera, respectively. Depo-Provera users also reported "don't have to worry about missing a pill" as a major reason for continuing use.Conclusions: Understanding the reasons why adolescents never use, stop using, or continue to use a particular method of contraception may provide a focus for more effective counseling.
Journal of Adolescent Health, 2008
Journal of Adolescent Health, 2005
Journal of Adolescent Health, 2005
Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 2004
Adolescents are questioning and coming to understand their sexuality, and recognizing and disclos... more Adolescents are questioning and coming to understand their sexuality, and recognizing and disclosing their sexual orientation, at increasingly younger ages. At the same time pediatricians have begun to care for teenagers ...
Background Adolescent and young adult (AYA) women with sickle cell disease (SCD) have increased p... more Background Adolescent and young adult (AYA) women with sickle cell disease (SCD) have increased pregnancy-related health risks and are prescribed potentially teratogenic medications, yet little is known about pediatric SCD provider contraceptive practices. We aimed to assess pediatric hematology providers’ beliefs, practices, motivators, and barriers for providing contraceptive care to female AYA with SCD. Methods Guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), we developed a 25-question, web-based survey to assess providers’ practices. Survey links were distributed nation-wide to pediatric SCD and/or general hematology providers through their publicly available emails and by request to directors of U.S. accredited Pediatric Hematology-Oncology fellowship programs for distribution to their SCD providers. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, logistic regression. Results Of 177 respondents, 160 surveys meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed. Most providers re...
Promoting Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: Primary Care Practice and Advocacy, 2018
Medical acupuncture, 2018
The Clinical Teacher, 2016
Clinical Medicine Reviews in Women's Health, 2010
The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 2014
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Papers by Melanie A. Gold, DO, FAAP