The role of knowledge in the contraceptive behaviour of sexually active young people in state care

•There is very little primary research published on the sexual health of young people in state care.•The extent to which knowledge of safer sex played a part in the sexual behaviour of young people was analysed.•A lack of information about safer sex was only one of several contextual factors that contributed to risky sexual behaviour.

AimTo analyse the role of sex-focused knowledge in the contraceptive behaviour of sexually active young people in state care.MethodsThe sample consisted of 19 care leavers (young people previously in state care) aged 18–22 years, 16 females and 3 males. In-depth interviewing was the method of data collection, and a qualitative strategy resembling modified analytical induction was used to analyse data.FindingsFindings indicated that a lack of information was not the sole or even the primary reason for engaging in unsafe sexual practices. Other factors such as ambivalence to becoming pregnant also featured in participants' accounts. Several participants conveyed a relatively weak sense of agency about consistently using contraception. A small number of participants expressed a strong determination to avoid pregnancy, and these appeared to have a level of anxiety about becoming pregnant that motivated them to engage with knowledge about contraception and its use.ConclusionLack of sex-focused information is just one aspect of a myriad of complex factors, including socioeconomic disadvantage and/or emotional deprivation, that influence contraceptive behaviour.