Martha's Case: The Unwelcome Phone Call

Correct! The answer is 4: All of the above.

The STI Risk Evaluation Questionnaire consists of six categories:

1. Relationship history

Martha has had a regular partner for the past year with whom she's been living. He does not know about her involvement with the partner who left the message on her answering machine.

2. Psychosocial history

Martha lives with her partner. During a previous argument in which he accused her of having an affair he slapped her in the face. Martha is scared of him hitting her again. She has no other history of abuse.

3. STI history

Martha does not think that she has ever had an STI before. She has pap tests at the family planning clinic where she gets her birth control pills but doesn't think she has ever been tested for STI. As far as she knows her pap smears have been normal.

4. Sexual risk behaviour history

In the past two months Martha has had sex with her regular partner and with the partner who left her the message on her answering machine. She usually engages in vaginal and oral sex but has recently experimented with anal sex as well. She's unsure about the number of partners she's had since she started having sex but guesses it may be around 10. She has had some "one-night stands" - usually when she has been drinking. Martha has given up on using condoms claiming that guys just won't use them.

5. Substance use history

Martha regularly drinks alcohol and smokes marijuana at parties and occasionally has sex while under the influence. She has never used any other drugs such as cocaine or injectable drugs, not even once.

6. Medical and reproductive events history

Martha is healthy with no known allergies. She began having sexual intercourse when she was 14 years old. She became pregnant at 15 and had the pregnancy terminated. After her abortion she started taking oral contraceptives and has not become pregnant since. Martha is not experiencing pain or other difficulties during or after sex.

Martha is most at risk for STI based on the STI Risk Evaluation Questionnaire.