BACKGROUND: Up to 31% of sexually active adolescent girls have genital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. Partner notification and treatment is key to decreasing the high prevalence of this sexually transmitted disease and preventing reinfection. This study was undertaken to examine girls' attitudes and perceptions about partner notification and treatment after diagnosis with chlamydia infection, and to determine rates of partner notification and treatment. METHODS: A 37-item questionnaire examining sexual behavior and communication with sex partners was developed for this study using focus groups of adolescent female patients served at a large urban medical center with high rates of chlamydia infection. The questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of female patients at the medical center aged 10-21 yrs., 1-3 months after they were diagnosed with a positive cervical chlamydia test. Subjects were 30 girls: xage = 18.6 ± 1.5 yrs; 65% Hispanic, 23% black. They were surveyed 1.9 ± 0.9 mo after chlamydia diagnosis when they returned for a follow up visit. RESULTS: For the 30 subjects, x̄ age at coitarche was 14.6 ± 1.5 yrs; modal number of life time sex partners was 4 (range 1-40), 23/30 (77%) had only 1 partner in the past three months, 6/30 had 2 partners. 57% were still with the partner whom they believed transmitted the index infection. 83% of subjects reported notifying at least 1 sex partner about the infection. From an array of 6 possible reasons for partner notification, the 2 most often endorsed were: “I did not want my sex partner to give the infection back to me” (15/30); “I wanted to let my sex partner know that he had given me the infection” (11/30). From 8 possible choices of sex partners' reaction, the 2 most often endorsed were: “My sex partner accepted the news well” (16/30); “My sex partner got upset” 7/30 (23%). Of 7 choices of reasons for not notifying their partners, the 2 most common were: “I was afraid that my sex partner would physically hurt me” (1/5); “I knew my sex partner would be very upset” (2/5). 16/30 (53%) of subjects knew and 11/30 (37%) did not know whether the partner had received treatment; 2 girls knew their partners were not treated and 1 didn't answer. CONCLUSIONS: While it may be reassuring that a large majority of adolescent girls in this study did notify their partners about chlamydia infection, it is concerning that only about half the girls knew whether their partner had been treated. These findings suggest that more efforts to encourage open communication between sex partners and to follow up on male partner treatment may be indicated.