Factors Associated with Adolescent Pregnancy— A Sample of Taiwanese Female Adolescents

Abstract

This study was designed to explore the factors that differentiate sexually experienced teenagers who become pregnant from those who do not. The study examined the differences between pregnant and never-pregnant female adolescents in personal background characteristics, family characteristics, substance use, contraceptive attitude, contraceptive knowledge, contraceptive self-efficacy, sexual history, and effective contraceptive use. Sexually experienced but never-pregnant female adolescents were selected from two vocational high schools. Pregnant adolescents were recruited by convenience sampling from obstetric clinics and health stations in Tainan City, Taiwan. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified six factors associated with pregnancy: poor contraceptive knowledge, poor contraceptive self-efficacy, low socioeconomic status, low effective contraceptive use scores, more frequent sexual intercourse, and older age. The results of this study provide health professionals with information to develop more-effective prevention and intervention programs to reduce adolescent pregnancy. The results also could be used as a reference for related research and policy development in other countries.

Problemas de saúde mental entre jovens grávidas e não-grávidas

“…19 As this study used a methodology similar to ours, the absence of association between smoking and pregnancy may be explained by differences in socioenvironmental characteristics, since the Thai study was not restricted to a low-income population. In Pelotas (Southern Brazil), a cohort study with a systematic sample of 473 female adolescents of up to 19 years of age, 15 showed that belonging to low-income families was one of the risk factors for the habit of smoking.…”

Gravidez na adolescência e uso freqüente de álcool e drogas no contexto familiar

“…Among the main already established factors, we can highlight variables related to demographics, education, sexual and contraceptive behavior, and psychosocial factors concerning the teenager and her family. The literature shows associated factors such as: adverse socioeconomic situation, 5,6 becoming sexually active early in life, 8,10,16 higher frequency of sexual intercourse, 11,20,21 lack of use or inconsistent use of contraceptive methods, 11,20 lower expectations on the part of the teenager concerning schooling and professional performance in the future, 9,10 among others. In regard to family functioning and structure, studies have shown significant associations between teenage pregnancy and low schooling of the father and/or mother, early pregnancy of the teenager's biological mother, dysfunctional family relationships, such as early death of the mother, and absence of a father fi gure.…”

Effects of Birth Control Empowerment Program for Married Immigrant Vietnamese Women in South Korea

“…This finding, which is similar to that observed in Kim and colleagues' [4] study (5.49 points out of 15), highlights the lack of knowledge among MIW, required to prevent unwanted pregnancies and engage in behaviors that promote reproductive health effectively. Knowledge regarding birth control is critical to effective birth control and planned pregnancies [18,24,25]. According to studies examining birth control practices and associated attitudes in Asian women, contraceptive use is strongly associated with educational attainment and autonomy.…”