TEEN PREGNANCYBY: M A R I YA L E V E N E T S

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• According to a study, in 1981 the United States had the highest rate of teen pregnancies.

• This rate was “. . .twice that of England, Wales, France, Canada, three times that of Sweden, and six times that of the Netherlands.”

• The number of teen pregnancies increased in 1970 from 839,000 to 1,151, 800 in 1980.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• About 750, 000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant every year.

• There is an increase of abortions due to this high rate of teen pregnancies.

• The United States is the leading developing country in teen pregnancy.

PREGNANT TEENS• Pregnancy is one of the reasons females

fail to complete school.• Seven out of ten female adolescents who

were pregnant did not finish high school.• Moreover, less than one third of female

teens who gave birth before the age of eighteen are less likely to graduate from high school.

CAUSES• Socioeconomic status• Less use of protection• Age and Cognitive Development• Knowledge of Sex• Family Structure

CONSEQUENCES FOR TEEN MOTHERS• Teen mothers under age fifteen

experience pregnancy complications.ToxemiaAnemiaPremature laborHigh maternal labor deaths

CONSEQUENCES FOR CHILDREN• Physical problems

• Brain injuries, neurological problems, cerebral palsy, and deafness and blindness.

• Educational Achievement• Preparing for school, intelligence scores, and

repeating grades.

• Behavioral Problems• These children tend to have behavior disorders and

difficulty socially. • The age of the mother giving birth has an impact on

the social emotional development of the child along with the unstable family and low economic status.

CONSEQUENCES FOR CHILDREN

• Possibility of becoming a teen parent• According to a study, twenty percent teen fathers were children of teen parents, in comparison to fourteen percent of men who became parents at the age of twenty.•Fifteen percent of mothers were children of teen mothers, compared to ten percent females who waited to have children.

PREVENTION• Educate teens about sex• Youth development programs• Parents should learn how to talk to teens

about preventing pregnancy, delaying sexual intercourse, birth control, and relationships.

• Provide access to contraceptives and services.

PREVENTION PROGRAMS

• Girls Inc. Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy

• Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program

• Prevention Programs for Men•Wise Guys•D.A.D

REFERENCESDomenico, D., Jones, K. H. (2007). Adolescent pregnancy in

america: causes and responses. The Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education, 30(1), 4-12. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.molloy.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ841380&site=ehost-live

Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health. (2012). Retrieved March 22, 2012, from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html

Girls Inc. preventing adolescent pregnancy. (2012). Retrieved March 22, 2012, from http://www.girlsinc.org/about/programs/adolescent-pregnancy.html

The National Campaign (2006). Teen pregnancy rates in United States, 1990-2005. Retrieved from http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national-data/pdf/pregrate_oct2006.pdf

REFERENCESThe National Campaign. (2010). Why are the teen

pregnancy and birth rates increasing? Retrieved from http://www.thenationalcampaign.or

g/resources/pdf/Briefly_Why-Are-the-Rates-Increasing.pdf

Our Program. (2010). Retrieved March 22, 2012, from http://stopteenpregnancy.childrensaidsociety.org/our-program

Shirk, M., Alexander, B. (1998). Pregnancy prevention programs targeted for teen males. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 7(1), 28-30. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214204136?ac

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Voydanoff, P., Donnelly, B. W. Adolescent Sexuality and Pregnancy. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.