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Adolescents' capacities to provide voluntary informed consent

The effects of parental influence and medical dilemmas

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Law and Human Behavior

Abstract

Minors' capacities to provide a valid informed consent for the treatment of medical and psychological disorders are contingent in part on the determination of whether they can make voluntary treatment decisions. The gravity of a medical dilemma and the nature of parental influence are two factors hypothesized to effect and perhaps compromise the voluntariness of treatment decisions made by adolescents. In the present study 40 14- and 15-year-old subjects were asked to note their conviction for treatment decisions they had made in response to hypothetical medical dilemmas in which parental influence varied. It was found that adolescents making treatment decisions are generally deferent to parental influence, although they are more likely to resist parental influence when the consequences of the decision have serious implications for the hypothetical adolescent's health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Virginia, Virginia, USA

    N. Dickon Reppucci

Authors
  1. David G. Scherer
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  2. N. Dickon Reppucci
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Additional information

This investigation was supported in part by a grant from the American Psychology-Law Society/ Division 41 of the American Psychological Association, whose assistance is gratefully acknowledged. Gratitude is also extended to the Albemarle County School District, the Blue Ridge School. and St. Anne's-Belfield for their kind cooperation. The authors wish to thank William Gardner, Jeanne Smith, and Edith Lawrence for their work on behalf of this project. Special recognition is due to Lois A. Weithorn for her guidance and support of this research endeavor.

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Scherer, D.G., Reppucci, N.D. Adolescents' capacities to provide voluntary informed consent. Law Hum Behav 12, 123–141 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01073121

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