Talking with health care professionals is also beneficial. Teens who say they have gotten a lot of information about STDs from doctors tend to know a bit more about non-HIV STDs than other teens. Among sexually active teens, those who have talked with a health care professional about STDs are more likely to raise the subject with their sexual partners. Teens evaluate their personal risk of STD infection in much the same way as adults who have never been married. Just under half feel they are not at risk at all, a third see a slight risk and the remaining fifth see themselves at moderate or great risk.
Teenage boys are more likely than teenage girls to believe they are at risk.
Teens, like adults, see STDs as a health issue with a moral dimension. If Americans had higher moral standards, according to the majority of teens, STDs would not be the problem they are today. But most teens also reject the notion that people with STDs should feel ashamed or guilty. Most teens feel people with STD infections are obligated to tell their partners. However, teens feel less strongly about this than adults, and are less likely to recognize this responsibility if condoms are used or if the infected person only has sex when they are symptom-free.