Personal Narratives of Adolescent Mothers‐to‐Be: Contraception, Decision Making, and Future Expectations

Abstract

Results not discussed in a previously published qualitative study (Spear, 2001) are presented in this article. Analysis of the personal narratives of eight pregnant adolescents who attended an alternative school for pregnant teens yielded the following categories: decision making, contraceptive behavior and sexual attitudes, and future expectations. The findings revealed that decisions regarding pregnancy were made with little deliberation and some participants implied that pregnancy was planned. Although knowledgeable about how to prevent pregnancy, participants did not consistently practice contraception and their sexual experiences were marked by indifference and lacked intimacy. Future expectations consistently included support from the fathers of their unborn children. Implications for nursing practice and further research are discussed.

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“…How does he treat your child[ren]?")" We drew the first question from Summers et al (2006). Our research group devel oped the second question as well as the probes for both questions for this study.…”

“…When asked what they hoped their children's fathers would gain from teen parenting classes, mothers reported a desire for fathers to become "more involved" by spending more time with children and participating more in childcare activities. In another study, Spear (2004) interviewed eight African American and European American pregnant teenage mothers about their experiences with pregnancy. Regarding future expectations, the majority of mothers expected the fathers of their children to be actively involved in the childrearing process.…”

“…The methodology of the present study drew from Summers et al (2006). Using a sample of 575 lowincome, young adult fathers with 24monthold children, researchers asked participants the mean ing of a "good father" in an openended interview.…”

“…The participants reported that the most important roles of fathers are providing a stable source of financial and physical support in the child's life (i.e., "being there"), serving as the child's life men tor, taking care of the child, and being emotionally available and responsive to the child. Summers et al (2006) compared the responses of the fathers to the framework of positive father involvement set forth by Lamb et al (1987) and found that the fathers' responses were represented by the frame works' three components: engagement, acces sibility, and responsibility. Another study assessed adolescent fathers' descriptions of a "good father" (Lemay, Cashman, Elfenbein, & Felice, 2010).…”

The Effects of Resilience and Social Influences on Preventing Repeat Adolescent Pregnancies in Parenting Adolescent Mothers

“…The authors demonstrated that girls with a positive attitude were more likely to have increased use than not to use a method at all. In another qualitative study with individual participant interviews, pregnant adolescents expressed inconsistent use of contraception (Spear, 2004).…”