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PubMedDate not supplied

Minority adolescent mothers who reported childhood sexual abuse and those who did not: perceptions of themselves and their relationships.

Perceptions of two groups of minority adolescent mothers (those who reported childhood sexual abuse and those who did not) were examined by analyzing their responses to four open-ended questions. Responses of sexually abused (SA) and non-sexually abused (NSA) respondents were studied, and themes that emerged from the data were derived. The responses from the groups were compared, and major thematic differences between the two groups identified. Distinct differences between the SA (n = 51) and NSA groups (n = 60) were detected in their responses to questions that related to their perceptions of themselves, their sexuality, and their relationships with men. Both SA and NSA groups had positive feelings about being parents, although the SA group expressed feelings of anxiety about the safety of their children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Teenage mothers' knowledge of sex education in a general hospital of the Umtata district.

There has been growing concern about the increase in teenage pregnancies in relation to the teenagers' knowledge of human sexuality and the impact sex education has on these teenagers in both the urban and rural areas. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of sex education and the health beliefs of teenagers with regard to teenage pregnancy. A descriptive study was conducted in the Umtata district of the Eastern Cape. The sample involved 42 teenage mothers drawn from local rural and urban areas attending a Well Baby Clinic at Umtata General Hospital. A questionnaire was used as the method of data collection. Data analysis was done by a software package called SAS. The study revealed that teenagers receive almost no sex education from health personnel and only a little from their parents. The study also revealed that most of these teenagers live with their mothers only instead of both parents. It also became clear that unsafe or unprotected sexual behaviour was practised by these teenagers although teenagers supported the idea of their partners using condoms. The most common problem resulting from teenage pregnancy, as indicated from the study results, was the financial burden on parents and lost educational opportunities by the girls. In the recommendations the parents' involvement in sex education and the improvement of recreational facilities for both urban and rural areas are highlighted. In conclusion, the study has shown the need for more efforts to solve the problem of inadequate sex education and to change the health beliefs of teenagers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Femininity as a barrier to positive sexual health for adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVES: To introduce a new model of female adolescent sexual health based on feminist principles and to investigate the extent to which adolescent girl's beliefs about femininity are associated with three specific elements of their sexual health. METHODS: 148 eighth-grade adolescent girls completed a survey with questions about sexual self-concept, sexual agency, attitudes toward romance conventions, femininity ideology, and demographic background. Correlational and regression analyses were conducted. An illustrative case study is drawn from a subsample of 46 girls interviewed in depth about gender and relationships. RESULTS: A statistically significant association was found between early adolescent girls' espousal of more conventional beliefs about femininity and diminished positive sexual health. To illustrate the ways in which a girl's femininity ideology interplays with her sexual health, selections from an interview with a 13-year-old Latina girl are presented as a case illustration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Abortion: knowledge and perceptions of adolescents in two districts in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy among adolescents is unplanned in many instances. Although some pregnant adolescents carry the pregnancy to term, abortion, in many instances unsafely induced, is a commonly sought solution in Kenya. OBJECTIVE: To determine adolescents' perceptions of induced abortion. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive study carried out between July 1995 and June 1996. SETTING: An urban and a rural district in Kenya. PARTICIPANTS: Adolescents aged 10-19 years in schools in Nairobi and Kiambu districts, and a group of immediate post-abortion adolescent girls in some health facilities in Nairobi. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of health programmes formulated and put into use, which are adolescent-friendly and providing information, education and communication on abortion issues. DATA COLLECTION: One thousand eight hundred and twenty adolescents were subjected to a self-administered questionnaire that collected demographic and health data as well as perceptions of induced abortion. Focus group discussions on perceptions of abortion were held with 12 groups of adolescents in schools and the information obtained recorded on paper and in a tape-recorder. RESULTS: One thousand nine hundred and fifty two adolescents, comprising of 1048 school girls (SG), 580 boys (SB), 192 post-abortion girls (PA) and 132 adolescents in the focus group discussions, formed the study sample. More than 90% were aware of induced abortion (IA). Knowledge of IA correlated positively with level of education (P < 0.01). Seventy one per cent of SG, 84% of PA and 40% of SB were aware of abortion-related complications, the most common being infections, death and infertility. Eighty three per cent of PA felt that complications were preventable by seeking care from a qualified doctor compared to one quarter each for the SB and SG. 56% PA, 69% SB and 72% SG felt that abortions were preventable. However, less than 40% proposed abstinence as a primary strategy. The most important source of information on abortion was the media followed by friends and teachers. CONCLUSION: Adolescents are aware of abortion and the related complications, but there is more variability in their knowledge and preventive measures.

Abortion, Illegal↗
PubMed2000

Sexual activity and contraceptive use among female adolescents--a report from Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Seven hundred and sixty-eight randomly selected single senior secondary school girls from Port Harcourt (mean age 16.32 years) were surveyed on aspects of sexual activity and contraceptive use. Two hundred and ten pregnancies (24 deliveries and 186 induced abortions) had occurred in 142 out of 605 girls (78.8%) who admitted being sexually exposed. The mean, modal and youngest ages of initiation into sexual activity were 15.04, 15 and 12 years respectively. At the time of the survey, 190 girls (24.7%) were sexually active and 74.2% of their male consorts were older working men, suggesting financial gains as a motive for the girls' sexual activity. Other findings were high awareness (72.4%) of the relationship between sexual activity and sexually transmitted diseases; a rather low level (56%) of knowledge of effective contraceptive methods, and limitation of contraceptive method use by sexually active girls, largely to the rhythm and withdrawal methods. Exposure to multiple sexual partners and a high level of parental approval of subjects' use of contraception were also present. In view of our findings, it is suggested that active efforts to promote sexuality education and contraceptive use should be intensified among Nigerian adolescents.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed2000

Targeting adolescent mothers with depressive symptoms for early intervention.

Infants of mothers with depressive symptoms show developmental delays if symptoms persist over the first 6 months of the infant's life, thus highlighting the importance of identifying those mothers for early intervention. In Study 1, mothers with depressive symptoms (n = 160) and mothers without depressive symptoms (n = 100) and their infants were monitored to identify variables from the first 3 months that predict which mothers would still be symptomatic at 6 months. A "dysregulation" profile was noted for the infants of depressed mothers, including lower Brazelton scores, more indeterminate sleep, and elevated norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine levels at the neonatal period, and greater right frontal EEG activation, lower vagal tone, and negative interactions at the 3- and 6-month periods. A group of maternal variables from the neonatal and 3-month assessments accounted for 51% of the variance in the mothers' continuing depressive symptoms. These variables included greater right frontal EEG activation, lower vagal tone, and less positive interactions at 3 months, and elevated norepinephrine, serotonin, and cortisol levels at the neonatal stage. In Study 2, a similar sample of mothers with depressive symptoms (n = 160) and without depressive symptoms (n = 100) was recruited and followed to 3 months. Those symptomatic mothers who had values above (or below) the median (depending on the negative direction) on the predictor variables identified in Study 1 (taken from the first 3 months) were then randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group at 3 months. These groups were then compared with each other, as well as with the group without depressive symptoms, at 6 and 12 months. The intervention, conducted from 3 to 6 months, consisted of free day care for the infants and a rehab program (social, educational, and vocational) plus several mood induction interventions for the mothers, including relaxation therapy, music mood induction, massage therapy, and mother-infant interaction coaching. Although the mothers who received the intervention continued to have more depressive symptoms than did the nondepressed mothers, their interactions significantly improved and their biochemical values and vagal tone normalized. Their infants also showed more positive interations, better growth, fewer pediatric complications, and normalized biochemical values, and by 12 months their mental and motor scores were better than those of the infants in the control group.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term outcomes of an abstinence-based, small-group pregnancy prevention program in New York City schools.

CONTEXT: Despite drops in U.S. teenage birthrates, questions continue to arise about how best to reduce the country's adolescent birthrate. School-based programs continue to be considered one of the best ways to reach adolescents at risk of early sexual activity. METHODS: A total of 312 students completed a pretest, a posttest and a follow-up one year after the posttest: 125 who had participated in a 3-4-month-long abstinence-based small-group intervention led by trained social workers, and 187 in a comparison group that received no special services. RESULTS: There were few significant differences between the intervention and comparison groups at posttest. At the one-year follow-up, however, intervention students had significantly better scores on locus of control, their relationship with their parents and (among males only) their attitudes about the appropriateness of teenage sex. Measures of depression, self-esteem, intentions to have sex, attitudes toward teenage pregnancy and various behaviors did not differ significantly between groups. By the time of the one-year follow-up, there was no difference between study groups among females in the initiation of sexual intercourse. Among the males, initiation of sexual intercourse appeared to be higher in the intervention group than in the comparison group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Positive outcomes were especially limited among students who were already sexually active at the start of the study, a finding that emphasizes the difficulties of reaching adolescents who are already at high risk for pregnancy CONCLUSIONS: A small-group abstinence-based intervention focusing on mental health can have some impact on adolescents' attitudes and relationships (particularly with their parents). Long-term evaluations are important for determining the effects of an intervention, as it is difficult to change adolescent risk behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Decision making and depressive symptoms in black and white multigenerational teen-parent families.

This study investigated correlates of depressive symptoms among 56 (30 Black and 26 White) low-income, coresiding teenage mothers and their mothers (referred to as grandmothers). Racial differences in teenage mothers' and grandmothers' reports of decision making and depressive symptoms and in the association of decision making with depressive symptoms were explored. Racial differences in levels of depressive symptoms emerged for grandmothers but not for teens. There were no significant differences in levels of decision making; however, the relation of decision making to depressive symptoms differed by racial group. Among White families, greater teen participation in decision making was negatively associated with teenage mothers' depressive symptoms. Among Black families, the opposite was found. A similar pattern of effects was observed for grandmothers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Adolescent girls' attitudes toward pregnancy: the importance of asking what the boyfriend wants.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the factors associated with attitudes toward pregnancy among girls presenting to an adolescent health clinic to better predict which girls are at the highest risk of pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: We used a cross-sectional provider-administered survey design. POPULATION: A total 202 girls aged 13 to 18 years presenting consecutively for reproductive health services to an adolescent care clinic were interviewed about their desire for pregnancy. Girls found to be already pregnant at the initial visit (n=54) were removed from analysis. OUTCOMES: measured The main outcome measured was desire for pregnancy. Subjects were grouped by those desiring pregnancy (n=16), those desiring to avoid pregnancy (n=107), and those ambivalent about pregnancy (n=25). RESULTS: The girls who were ambivalent about pregnancy were not significantly different from the girls desiring pregnancy. In unadjusted analysis, girls desiring pregnancy or who were ambivalent about it were more likely to be Hispanic, unemployed, to not attend school, to live with neither natural parent, and to have lived away from home for more than 2 weeks. In adjusted analysis, the reported attitude of the boyfriend toward having a child was the only significant predictor of adolescent girls&rsquo attitude toward pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: The best predictor of an adolescent girl&rsquos attitude toward pregnancy is her perception of her boyfriends&rsquo desire for a baby. Primary care providers should include boyfriends in any efforts to delay pregnancy in at-risk adolescent girls. Teenagers who are ambivalent about whether they want to be pregnant do not differ significantly from those desiring pregnancy, and should be considered just as high risk.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sex talk.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Adolescent mothers' depression after the birth of their babies: weathering the storm.

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of adolescent mothers with depression following the birth of their babies. A sample of 20 English-speaking participants, between the ages of 16 and 18, were asked to reflect upon and describe their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions about being depressed after the birth of their babies. Significant statements were extracted from each of the transcribed interviews and meanings formulated that reflected the intent of the statements. The meanings were organized into six theme clusters. A written, exhaustive description was reviewed by study participants for credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. The metaphor of being hit by a nor'easter storm emerged from the participants' descriptions of their experiences and was threaded throughout the description of the themes. Implications for practice and directions for future research are presented.

Adolescent↗