Teenage Pregnancy

Determinants and Psycho-Social

Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy

ByDr. Darshan K. NarangDr. Ranjana Vaishnav

Dr. Kavita Koradia

2

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

METHODOLOGY

 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Determinants of Teenage Pregnancy

Psychosocial consequences of Teenage Pregnancy

 SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Teenage pregnancy in India caused by lower age at marriage & effective marriage, socio & cultural factors and less access to contraception.

It effects psycho-social health of women, includes denial of education, denial of freedom, personal development & inadequate socialization with fertility & health status.

Teenage pregnancy is defined as a teenage or underage girl (usually within the ages of 13–19) becoming pregnant.

Early marriage and early pregnancy severely constrained the prospects of all round development of young girls.

In India, early marriage and early pregnancy is more common in traditional rural communities compared to the rate in cities (Mayor, 2004). Save the Children (2004) found that, annually 13 million children are born to women under age 20 worldwide, more than 90% in developing countries. 

For teens who did not use contraception at first sex, 43 percent of girls have been involved in a pregnancy (Suellentrop & Flanigan, 2006).

Population Council of India (2006) indicates that young women's early sexual encounters within marriage are often described as frightening and non-consensual.

Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of high school and live in poverty, and their children frequently experience health and developmental problems (Barnet et al., 2004; Breheny & Stephens, 2007; Forum on Child & Family Statistics, 2007; Hofferth et al., 2001; Hoffman, 2006).

6

Conceptual Framework of the Study

Objective: To explore determinants and psycho-social consequences of teenage pregnancy.

•LOCALE OF THE STUDY:

•Rural areas of Bhilwara district of Rajasthan state were selected

purposively as the locale of study.

•SAMPLE AND ITS SELECTION:

•The multistage sampling procedure includes selection of Tehsils,

villages and finally, selection of respondents was done.

7

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

I. DETERMINANTS OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Age at marriage (M-Age) and age at effective marriage (G-Age )

Socio-Cultural Factors Access to contraception

II. PSYCHO-SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Fertility outcome and health status

Denial of Education Denial of Freedom Personal Development and

Inadequate Socialization

The mean age at marriage for respondents was 10.45 years

while mean age at effective marriage was 14.8 years.

The mean age at birth of first child of the respondents was

16.33 years.

7%, 8% and 33% respondents had their first child at the age

of 14 years, 15 years and 16 years respectively.

25%, 21.67% and 4.67% had their first child by the age of 17

years, 18 years and 19 years respectively.

Results of One Way ANOVA showed the highly significant

impact of age at marriage (F=12.31) and age at Gauna

(F=38.16) on age at birth of first child.

Result - I

Age at marriage and age at effective marriage

Table 1Frequency (Crosstab) distribution of women’s age at birth of first

child (B-age) according to M-Age and G-Age

B-Age(in years)

M-Age (in years) G-Age (in years)

0-9 10-14 15-18 0-9 10-14 15-19 Total Percentage

13 1 7 0 0 6 2 8 2.6714 4 9 0 0 8 5 13 4.3315 10 12 1 0 11 12 23 7.6716 27 64 6 1 33 63 97 32.3317 30 35 10 2 31 42 75 25.0018 19 21 25 2 14 49 65 21.6719 3 1 10 1 1 12 14 4.67

No child 0 3 2 0 1 4 5 1.67Total 94 152 54 6 105 189 300 100

percentage

31.33 50.67 18 2 35 63

Results of One Way ANOVA showed the highly significant impact of age at

marriage (F=12.31) and age at Gauna (F=38.16) on age at birth of first child.

Socio-Cultural Factors

Fifty two percent respondents confessed that they had faced the family and societal pressure to bear a child preferably a son soon after marriage; especially mother in-law and husband. The reasons cited by them are as husband being the only child (25%), preference of male child is a major cause for too early, too

frequent and too many pregnancies (38%), Nagging and blaming by relatives and neighbors for not

conceiving (19%) and Stigma of infertility or fear of separation (18%).

Forty eight percent respondents reported that though nobody forced them to get pregnant, but they themselves were unaware of their first pregnancy.

Access to contraception

It was found that only 14 percent respondents were aware of any contraceptive method to avoid pregnancy at the time of first cohabitation.

Only 36 percent respondents had undergone sterilization to avoid repeated and unwanted pregnancy.

Thirty six percent respondents had not used any method to delay pregnancy i.e. condoms and oral pills etc.

Recently, 72% and 86% respondents knew that contraceptives are easily available and men could get condoms free of cost.

Result - IITable 2

Frequency distribution of fertility outcome

B-AGE

Spontaneous Abortion

Induced abortion

Preterm Delivery

Still BirthFull Term Normal Delivery

n % n % n % n % n %

13 15 22.06 2 25.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 8 2.71

14 29 42.65 2 25.00 9 52.94 0 0.00 13 4.41

15 9 13.24 3 37.50 7 41.18 1 2.27 23 7.80

16 5 7.35 0 0.00 1 5.88 12 27.27 97 32.88

17 3 4.41 0 0.00 0 0.00 17 38.64 75 25.42

18 4 5.88 0 0.00 0 0.00 5 11.36 65 22.03

19 3 4.41 1 12.50 0 0.00 9 20.45 14 4.75

Total 68 23.05 8 2.71 17 5.76 44 14.92 295 100

The results of one way ANOVA revealed that fertility and health status is highly affected by age at birth of first child of the respondents i.e. number of

pregnancies (F=18.99), Alive children (F=11.77), Abortion (F=12.87), Still birth (F=18.99) and health status (F=2.20).

Table 3One Way ANOVA for PSC components on respondents’ age at birth

of first child

PSC components Groups S.S. DF M.S. F

Denial of educationBetween Groups 0.30 7 4.30 1.92*

Within Groups 6.54 292 2.24  Total 6.84 299    

Denial of freedomBetween Groups 31.93 7 4.56 1.99*

Within Groups 669.74 292 2.29  Total 701.67 299    

Personal development and inadequate

socialization

Between Groups

31.22 7 4.46 1.96*Within Groups 665.57 292 2.28  

Total 696.79 299    

Results of ANOVA reveled that PSC components are significantly affected by age at birth of first child of the respondents i.e. Denial of education (F=1.92), Denial of freedom (F=1.99), and Personal development and inadequate socialization (F=1.96).

Suggestions and Recommendations

Effective implementation of the Law and Behaviour change communication programs are required for communities, practicing child marriage.

Lack of awareness of contraception among teens, especially during first sexual intercourse, increases the chances of unintended pregnancies. So there is strong need for contraceptive counseling in order to prevent repeated pregnancies. Clinics, private medical offices, or NGOs can play a major role in providing counseling.

Limited education can be both a cause and an effect of child motherhood. Girls who are not attending school are more likely to become mothers at a dangerously early age, and girls in school who marry young or become pregnant usually leave school. So there is a need to develop strategies to help more girls go to school and stay in school, and to encourage families and communities to value the education of girls.

Life skill education and vocational training programs for girls to empower them.

Health services to the special needs of newly married girls and young first-time mothers. need health services that are designed to meet

THANKS