Adolescent Pregnancy

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RH: Adolescent Pregnancy

Final Inquiry Report on Inquiry Project

Inquiry into Adolescent Pregnancy

Allison Thornton

University of Calgary


Socrates is renowned for his inquiry based approach to learning.  So when I decided I wanted to study issues in adolescent pregnancy, I started posing questions. What factors contributed to teen pregnancy? Are there causal risk factors for the girls who get pregnant? Are there certain characteristics that make a girl more at risk? What social factors contribute to adolescent pregnancy? I also wanted to address some issues like what supports are available for these girls and the availability or publicity of these supports. What are these girl’s options? How acceptable socially these options are and possible trends as to the choice of options? What are the implications for social work practice?

Social Issue?

History has shown that there have always been children born outside of marriage. The stigma on the unwed mother has always been there, and has not changed. So why is this a social issue? The fact is that these unwed mothers are children themselves, and are believed to not be ready to have children of their own.  Adolescent pregnancy is a social issue because of stigmas placed on these girls: socially, religiously, and economically (Cervera, 1989).  Other factors that contribute to the social issue are the concerns about children raising children, and the impact this has on the adolescent’s life and the child’s life, whether positive or negative (Hao, 2000). It also places a financial strain on the social support systems intact as these girls’ needs increase while they look at their own socio-economic status and provide for their child’s needs (CBC). “The questions raised by teen parenting are questions about the way we as a society construct our responsibilities towards children. (Wong 1999, pg. 3). There is also growing concern whether if these choices are made with a full understanding leads to some of the myths about adolescent pregnancy (Combs-Orbe, 1990). One of the primary being the myths of how easy it is to raise children brings a kind of romanticism to it, and that often misleads girls into feeling they are capable of keeping and sustaining a pregnancy and child. Some girls have the belief that a child would cause her boyfriend to marry her, or a child would bring them closer in a relationship.

How much does this affect us?

“Four out of ten” girls in the United States will become pregnant before age 20. United States has the highest incidence of adolescent pregnancy, with Canada following close behind. In Canada the teenage birth rate is 6 times that of Japan or Switzerland, but we fall behind New Zealand (CICH). In Lethbridge 8.2% of the live births are to pregnant teenagers, approximately 170 births per year. (Karla Wright) The majority of adolescent pregnancies are unintentional, with statistics ranging from 50 percent, (CBC) to 73% (Zabin, 1993).  In 1990, 21% of all births were to unmarried teen mothers. (Wong  1999)

What are the long term outcomes for these girls?

The economic costs of this issue also comes into play, because the mother is still young, the consequences if she keeps the child will affect the rest of her life. “A young woman having an unintended birth is associated with termination of schooling, increased likelihood of some time on welfare, and failure to achieve the level of work success achieved by adolescents who postpone having children.” (CBC) These girls fail to recognize their pregnancy early off, and fail to access prenatal care, or eat properly during the pregnancy which will impact their children. The poverty rate of single mothers is high, with single mothers costing the Alberta government 22 million a year for support. (CBC) In a report published by the Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH) they list some consequences for these girls and their children. Some of them noted are the fact that a woman who first gave birth at 16 and younger are more likely to have a second child within the next two years than are young women who have had their first child between 17-20, and the fact that the pressures teen parents face predispose them to child abuse and neglect.

For the child, there are a certain set of consequences outlined in the CICH report, that babies of teenage mothers are at an increased risk of pre-term birth and low birth rat and death during infancy, that the infant mortality rate is 60% higher, and the child is more prone to accidents and illnesses. They are about three times more likely to show a conduct disorder then children born to older mothers. They also show lower marks in math and reading.  

Factors that contribute to the cause of adolescent pregnancy

The most obvious contribution to what causes adolescent pregnancy is sex, but what is of interest is what causes these girls to engage in unprotected sexual activity. Several of these factors have been outlined in the literature, there is the media image on sex, and there is also a lack of education in the schools.

Join now!

Western society with its predominantly Christian roots sends mixed social messages to teens about sexual activity, and the consequences of their actions. The religious influences and education influence both stresses the slogan of abstinence saying that sex should be reserved until after marriage. Yet the same society has a radically different message it sends through media. “More than two-thirds of the shows on U.S. television now have sexual content” (CNN 2001). Teen television characters that engage in sexual activity have also risen over the years (CNN 2001). In soap operas the amount of sexual acts to the mention of safe ...

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