Teen Pregnancy - Research Paper Example

Parents and the Community have an Integral Role in Educating Teenagers to be more Careful and Responsible in their Relationships Katrina Robinson Columbia Southern University Abstract The present research was conducted with the aim of identifying factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy, the risks associated with teenage pregnancy and what can be done to curb teenage pregnancy. Research indicated that there are several factors that promote teenage pregnancy. One of these factors is the poor living condition as most of the females who become pregnant during teenage below to low income groups. Secondly, the beliefs and the values that are transferred by a mother to her daughter is even a significant factor. Furthermore, an increase in teenage pregnancy is taking place due to increase in access to social media and parent’s lack of control on their children and lastly, the issue is no longer being considered as a major problem. Research further helped in identifying that teenage pregnancy has emotional, physical and social risks associated with it. Teenage mothers who bear a child at the age of only 15 years may end up experiencing loss of nutrition and they may give birth to premature babies. They may experience stress and depression as they may face difficulty in identifying how to attain financial resources for the lives of their children. They may stop getting education and end up with low paid employment opportunities. In order to curb teenage pregnancy various stakeholders need to take a part. The government, parents as well as teachers have to take equal responsibility for educating young girls on the subject and difficulties associated with teenage pregnancy. Parents need to develop stronger ties with their children and they even need to increase their control on their children. Introduction Teenage pregnancy has been a major social and health issue in the recent past. Developed countries view teenage pregnancy as a key policy area. Most researchers concentrate on the rate of teenage pregnancy, instead of teenage mothers in the society. The data provided give people the true picture of teenage pregnancy and the reason it is a problem in the society (Shaw & Lawlor, 2007, p. 312). Civic education is of vital importance, if the society wants to eradicate teenage pregnancy. To pregnant teenagers, the main concern is the finance and being a single mother is not an issue. Many factors contribute to teenage pregnancy, which include, advance in technology, poverty, drug abuse and among others. Today’s society is not the same as the past society due to advancement in technology. Nonetheless, technology has come with negative effects, especially to teenagers. Moreover, parents do not have control of what piece of information reaches their children. Therefore, this implies teenagers log in to pornographic sites and as a result, they practice what they see. It is important to pass teenage education to every adolescent to avoid irresponsible behavior. Teenage education not only affects teenagers, but also the whole society. Furthermore, teenage mothers are likely to come from poor background. However, this does not mean that poverty leads to teenage pregnancy (Shaw & Lawlor, 2007, p.312). Lack of basic needs may force teenage girls to engage in premarital sex to provide for her family. In addition, families from poor backgrounds may not be able to provide school fees for their teenage girl. That being the case, the teenage girl ends up engaging in impulsive behavior. Parents to such girls should establish a good relationship; teach them basic education according to what they have experienced, since this develops her self-esteem. In relevance to Shaw and Lawlor (2007), society and culture influence the rate of recorded pregnancy. Social background greatly affects the behavior of a girl. Therefore, individuals included in the social background of a teenager have a duty to mold a girl’s behavior. Additionally, education is the key concern when it comes to eradicate teenage pregnancy. Education assists teenagers when making decision. However, the school has to decide the right time to teach teenagers about sex education. Literature Review Shaw and Lawlor (2007) authors Why we measure teenage pregnancy but do not count teenage mothers? State that teenage pregnancy has become a major social and health issue in the past years and most industrialized states view it as a key policy area. In history, the key focus of most research was on the measure of rate of teenage pregnancy rather than the number of teenage mothers in the society. The data provided helps in giving people the reality of what teenage pregnancy truly is and why it is actually a social problem (Shaw & Lawlor, 2007, p. 312). Most governments are mostly concerned with establishing the rate of teenage pregnancy in their states and ways in which to reduce, but often fail to take into account the actual number of teenage mothers. Suri (1994) equally agrees that education is imperative if the society hopes to impact in any way in the decisions made by teenagers. Most of them never take time to them never take time to view the long term perspective and the likely consequences teenage pregnancy may have on their lives. The community’s view on the ideal family has changed, and the main concern most teenage mothers have is in terms of financial matters and the idea of being single mothers is not an issue to them at all (Suri, 1994. p. 40). Usually most teenage mothers often come from disadvantaged families with poor socio-economic status. However, this does not imply that poverty ultimately leads to unwed teenage pregnancy (Dean, 2013). This therefore implies that eradicating poverty may not necessarily help in the prevention of teenage pregnancy. Generally, there are other factors that come into play that do not essentially have anything to do with the economic level of the society in which one is born in. Contrary to this, Dean wisely depicts that neither daughters pregnancies are not brought about by of the sociocultural environment as such, nor the mother’s experiences in life, but somewhat the aftermath of the way in which mothers and daughters come to cognitively come to assess the cachet of pregnancy of teenage pregnancy in the context. The author believes that the kind of relationship a mother is able to forge with her daughter will in turn have an impact on her development of self-esteem and state of the ego. In addition, from her research it is evident that daughter’s pregnancy outcome was directly related to the mothers expectations and beliefs about the potentialities of their daughters and their own personal beliefs. Furthermore, society is not what it used to be in the past. With technology and the social media, parents no longer have any control on the kind of information that their children are exposed to. Previously, social media and the internet itself were used for the intended purposes. Conversely, there is no control on the kind of people teenagers are likely to get in touch with in the online world and the likely end result of this is that it may falsely guide them to engage in certain irresponsible behavior. Teenage education does only affect the life of the teenage mother, but the father as well as their families who will all need to offer their support and be there for them not only financially, but emotionally as well. Suri (1994) believes that community reaction and punishment for appropriate teenage behaviors will likely have an effect on how teenagers choose to act and can be used as a precautionary measure for teenage pregnancy in most cases. People nowadays seem rather indifferent when it comes to matters pertaining to teenage pregnancy since they view it as somewhat normal. However, what they fail to realize are the health risks that the mother is exposed to given that she is not physically and emotionally developed enough to take on the responsibility of motherhood. According to Ventura et al (2011), one of the main risk factors for teenage drinking is binge drinking. Teenagers often look to fit in with others and are disposed to go to inordinate lengths in order to belong. They often associate in certain behaviors that are rather unbecoming such as binge drinking which in turn lead them to engage in irresponsible behaviors such as unprotected teenage sex. Over the years, it has been established that racial minorities record a higher rate of teenage pregnancy as compared to teenagers from the white population (Ventura et al, 2011, p. 60). Levering establishes that teenage pregnancy has been rising over the years without most people taking any notice to it. It has become evident that most students opt to withdraw from school after giving birth, possibly out of shame or maybe the responsibility of parenthood become a little too much to bear. Society need to realize how grim the consequences of teenage pregnancy actually are and figure out a way to deal with it. Some of the consequences that the author talks of in the book include high health risks for the teenage mother, increase in the number of students who drop out of school, unskilled employees due to lack of education, family instability and the financial implications are also rather hefty (Levering, 1983, p. 183). Dean in her book Teenage pregnancy: The interaction of psyche and culture tries to establish how psychology and culture may impact on our actions as humans. The general question the author seeks to address is why is that as humans we are so motivated to do certain things and not others? The case study was carried out in River Parish region of Southern Louisiana where the community is mostly characterized by women and girls who are all poor, come from families that have love in conditions of racial oppression, poverty, underemployment and restricted educational opportunity. Although there seems to be a high rate of teenage and unwed pregnancy in the area, the question is how come some of the women and girls do not fall victims of this situation. Dean (2013) further stresses on the likely impacts that society and culture may have on the rate of the recorded teenage pregnancy over the past years. There are several social factors that need to be addressed if at all the problem of teenage pregnancy is to be eradicated in the society (Dean, 2013, p. 35). To recap, Suri (1999) also further stresses on the high number of teenage mothers who often comes from poor families. It becomes fairly evident that social background is a major determinant to the high number of teenage pregnancy recorded globally (Suri, 1999, p. 38). In addition, it seems quite clear that education is key in ensuring that teenagers are capable of making decisions that will most likely have an effect on their lives. The kind of education system implemented will however depend on the policies in place by the state and the stipulations about the right age to start sex education in schools (Shaw & Lawlor, 2007, p. 314). Teenage pregnancy is a crucial problem of today`s society which does not disappear even with economic growth of the country. The USA holds top position in the quantity of teenage pregnancies among economically developed countries of the world. Despite the fact that large number of teenage girls getting pregnant at young age come from poor families, unplanned pregnancy is not rare among the girls from financially independent background. Therefore, the reasons of this phenomenon must be more general and profound than usual economic state of the society. As teenagers are the girls from 13 to 19, they are mostly regarded as children unable to take complete control and responsibility of their behavior. Therefore, it is necessary for adults to intervene into the system and change those factors that can possibly lead to such issue as teenage pregnancy. Lack of information regarding possible consequences of early sexual life, parents` and teachers` neglect of teenagers` behavior, and non-acceptance of adolescents` sexual life as a fact by society are considered those factors changing of which can reduce the quantity of pregnancies among teenagers. First it is important to outline that teenage pregnancy has serious health consequences for mothers. Teenage girls may fail to find out they are pregnant in time which will cause further complications. Girls under 15 who got pregnant are risk to bear a child with a low weight as a result that the fetus will be competing with young mother for nutrients (Quinlivan, 2006). Pregnancy may often result in premature labor causing serious health complications for a baby. However, psychological unpreparedness of the teenagers of such age to becoming an adult and taking care of a child is one of the main risks. Pregnancy at such a young age leads to serious psychological problems and can cause prolonged stress and depression. For women of 18-19 psychological and social risks are more threatening than physical. Young mothers will have to think of how to provide their babies with shelter and all necessary things. According to the research, many young mothers have to experience up to four housing shifts a year following giving birth (Quinlivan, 2006). Moreover, many young mothers are unable to continue education which will cause problems with their further employment. Many teenage mothers experience a cycle of poverty especially in those countries which are unable to provide them with decent support (Geronimus & Korenman, 1992). Teenage pregnancy is the phenomenon that cannot be eliminated totally but it can be reduced substantially with the help of multifaceted approach including parents and educational institutions involvement. Moreover, certain changes should be implemented on governmental level. First and foremost parental active position is needed. Parents have to encourage their teenage children to postpone sexual life and if it is not possible they have to explain them the consequences and the threats of early involvement into sexual life. Close intimate relationships between children and parents can minimize the risk of teenage pregnancy. Moreover, it is extremely important for parents to be the role models demonstrating responsible attitude towards sexual relationships and family obligations. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has elaborated 10 tips for parents which can help to explain the difficult issues about sexual life to teenagers. Following these recommendations can help to create a right image of sexual life in children. Parents are recommended: To be concrete about values regarding sex; To engage into a dialogue about sex life as early as possible. Be specific and answer as many questions as possible; Set clear rules and behavior expectations; limit time and set some domestic obligations; Be aware of the teenager`s circle of friends as they are the major influence of a teenage behavior; Limit dating and be positive about group gatherings; Encourage two-three year difference between a teenager and other friends, discourage dating with significantly older partners; Discuss future goals and explain why early pregnancy ad parenthood is not the best option; Control school performance and be aware of what is going on in school; Be aware of the child`s tastes in music and art since they also influence the perception of moral values; Set positive trusting relationships open to any discussions (National Campaign, 2007). Though parents play the leading role in establishment of the right understanding of teenage sexual life consequences it is necessary to use several approaches to hit the target. According to Darroch et al., serious public support of transition of teenagers to adult economic responsibilities which includes parenthood roles in Scandinavian countries results in better incentives and more profound attitude to childbirth (2010). Normal public acceptance of such issue as teenager sexual activity underpinned by comprehensive and easily accessible information about venereal diseases, contraception, and pregnancy can bring fruitful results as well. Realistic expectations regarding teenagers’ commitment and prevention of early pregnancy will help the country to avoid bitter consequences. One of the most important issues is an easy access to contraceptives. It means that teenagers must be able to obtain necessary contraceptives and receive confidential service any time. Such measures implemented in Europe reduce teenage pregnancies sufficiently. According to the research provided by BBC teenagers do not show significantly higher percent of contraceptives negligence than adult women. In most cases the women asking for abortions report similar figures: with 51 % of women older than 20 and 51% of teenagers not using contraceptives at all. This means that critics of teenagers irresponsible behavior regarding contraception is not well justified. However, it is necessary to make sure that teenagers from the lower groups of society are able to reach contraceptives because they are the most vulnerable subjects in this context (Teenage Pregnancy, 2007). Though parents’ involvement and community initiative will certainly influence positively the situation with teenage pregnancy, the problem of lack of information can be solved with the help of schools. And it is not only necessary to teach teenagers about sex and contraception, it is important to prevent such issues as domestic violence and sexual abuse. School can contribute to the creation of the image of right relationships between people. It is important to teach young girls that sex is a voluntary thing and no one can force or blackmail sexual relationships. Teaching of how healthy relationships between a man and a woman must work can be implemented during a course of Sexual Education in schools. Violence and abuse are often the sources of premature sexual life combined with drugs and alcohol abuse. It is estimated that 13 % of sexually abused girls end up having unwanted pregnancies. Inability to protect themselves or to refer for help after the accident resulted in such consequences. Schools can be those places where teenagers are able to find support, information, and advice in critical circumstances (Teen Pregnancy, 2007). Therefore, teen pregnancy still remains the dominant problem of every state in the world. Even well-developed countries such as United Kingdom, America, and Australia have to direct their efforts to reducing this issue. Teen pregnancy is dangerous for girls under 15 due to numerous health risks and premature for even older teenagers unprepared to the roles of parents and bearing financial and moral responsibilities. However, to change the situation it is necessary to apply a multifaceted approach where major role would be assigned to parents. They will have to provide children with the most important information regarding sex life. School education can also minimize the risks of teen pregnancies with the help of lectures and trainings regarding sexual relationships. Nevertheless, the efforts of the government must support the initiatives and direct the campaign against teen pregnancy. Conclusion Teenage pregnancy rates in the United States and stakeholders including the parents, government and teachers are factors that are promoting it and they are the ones who should control it. Females who become pregnant during teenage mostly belong to low income earning families and it is the duty of the government to ensure that living conditions for all the individuals of United States are enhanced to curb the growth of teenage pregnancy. Secondly, parents and especially the mothers have stopped taking interest in their children’s life and have failed to control their behaviors and the relationship between the parents and the children is diminishing. Parents need to take measures to stop their children from indulging in unsafe sex at an earlier age. They need to clearly dictate the values that they hold regarding sexual affairs and they need to keep an eye on their behavior as well as friends as teenager’s behavior is overly influenced by their peer groups. Parents need to hold arrangements within the family circles to stop the children from indulging in dating practices and they need to even inform their children about the pros and cons of early age pregnancy. They even need to monitor the academic performance of their children and strictly monitor their children’s indulgence with entertainment and media. The teachers are even equally responsible for ensuring that the increase in the rate of teenage pregnancy is controlled. They need to provide children with the information regarding sexual matters such as safe sex and contraception. They can even provide children with information regarding healthy relationships and what is important at what part of life. References Darroch, J., Frost, J., & Singh, S. (2007). Teenage Sexual and Reproductive Behavior in Developed Countries The Allan Gutmacher Institute Report. Retrieved from: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/eurosynth_rpt.pdf Dean, A. L. (2013). Teenage pregnancy: The interaction of psyche and culture. Routledge. Geronimus, A., Korenman, S. (1992).The socio-economic consequences of teen childbearing reconsidered. Obstetricians and Gynecology Journal, 107:1187-1214. Levering, C. S. (1983). Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood Childhood Education, 59(3), 182- 185. National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Ten Tips for Parents to Help Their Children Avoid Teen Pregnancy (2007). Education. Com. Retrieved from: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Ten_Tips_Parents/ Quinlivan, J. (2006). Teenage Pregnancy Obstetricians and Gynecology Journal, 8 (2), 25-31. Shaw, M. E., & Lawlor, D. A. (2007). Why we measure teenage pregnancy but do not count teenage mothers?. Critical Public Health, 17(4), 311-316 Suri, K. B. (1994). The problem of teenage pregnancy: An educational imperative. Journal of Multicultural Social Work, 3(3), 35-48. Teen pegnancy: home remedy (2007). VisionOrg. Retrieved from: http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=6702 Teenage pregnancy myth dismissed (2007). BBC News. Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6279601.stm Ventura, S. J., Mathews, T. J., Hamilton, B. E., Sutton, P. D., & Abma, J. C. (2011). Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbirth—United States, 1991–2008. CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report—United States, 2011, 60, 105. Read More