Teen pregnancies - Essay Example

Your full November 21, Teenage Pregnancy Teenage pregnancy is one of the most serious social problems of today’s modern society. The increase in the rate of unwed teenage births weakens the integrity of a country. Research suggests that millions of teenage girls get pregnant in the United States every year most of which are those who did not use any contraceptive. Lack of sex education, teenage hormonal changes and stress are some of the major causes of teenage pregnancies, and the effects include the horrible stigma causing guilt in the mother and psychological impacts upon the baby.

There are many causes of teenage pregnancies. It occurs due to lack of sex education, an absence of appropriate knowledge and lack of understanding regarding sex. The undergoing of body through hormonal changes in adolescence, coupled to rebellion towards the parents, lead teenage girls to succumb to sexual act. Stress in family, social relationship and experience are the key factors that cause a teenager to enter into a sexual relationship. Conception further adds stress coupled to uncertainty and ill-preparedness.

The use of drugs, alcohol or other similar substances also causes the teen to enjoy the sexual relationship that leads to pregnancy (Chinwe Chibuzo par. 3). When under the influence of intoxicating substances, the teenager who may not be ready for sexual act may be induced to engage in it, thus, resulting to an unwanted pregnancy. The teen mother suffers from shame and guilt throughout her life. Wilson and Huntington (2006) have discussed in their study how the passing decades have stigmatized the teenage pregnant mothers.

They studied the sufferings of teenage mothers belonging to United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand and found that since the society considers teenage pregnancy as a problematic social problem, and this perception has totally changed the lives of teenage mothers. According to them, a change in the perception of teenage motherhood along time has stigmatized the image of teenage mothers. The stigma loves with them throughout their lives making them a constant victim of shame and guilt which hinders with their life as a normal happy citizen.

Moreover, the baby gets affected too. Baby of a teen mother may suffer from neglect from his mother’s side due to her lack of experience in childcare. Moreover, children of teenage mothers suffer retardation in psychological and social developments as well as malnutrition effect upon the mind and body. Teenage mothers do not possess parenting skills and do not know the needs of the child. They do not understand the importance of touch, smile and communication in the development of the child.

The result of lack of parenting skills and unpleasant environment caused by the teen’s pregnancy can cause the child to grow up with anti-social behaviors. To sum it up, the concept of teenage pregnancies has always been considered as undesirable in all ages (Holgate, Evans and Yuen). Lack of sex education, family stress, drugs and hormonal changes at teenage compel the teens to get involved in sexual activities. The resulting pregnancies result in poor grades at school. The society attaches a permanent stigma with the teen mothers.

The baby grows up with psychological disorders. Works Cited Chinwe Chibuzo, Precious. “What are the Causes of Teenage Pregnancy?” Ezine Articles. Ezine Articles.com, 2007. Web. 21 November 2011. < http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-The-Causes-Of-Teenage-Pregnancy?&id=753619 >.Holgate, Helen S., Evans, Roy, and Francis K.O. Yuen. Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood: Global Perspectives, Issues and Interventions. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006. Wilson, Helen, and Annette Huntington. Deviant (M)others: The Construction of Teenage Motherhood in Contemporary Discourse Journal of Social Policy, 35.1(2006): 59-76.