Sex, Contraception, and Pregnancy Among Adolescents in Mexico City

Abstract

This article presents the development and results of a study that analyzed the psychosocial determinants of abstaining from sexual intercourse, practicing contraception, and avoiding pregnancy. It was carried out with a representative household and a clinic sample of 12-19-year-old females of lower-middle and lower socioeconomic levels in Mexico City. Among the implications of the results for program design are: (1) the need for clarifying erroneous beliefs and providing detailed, practical knowledge concerning sexuality, pregnancy, use of and access to contraceptives; (2) a broad definition of sex education that emphasizes family communication, values clarification, provision of alternative role options for women other than motherhood, and both the goals and the skills needed to achieve them--for example, independent decision-making. Attention to male attitudes and communication skills as well as ways of improving communication and support networks among peers was also found to be essential.

Adolescents can know best: Using concept mapping to identify factors and pathways driving adolescent sexuality in Lima, Peru

“…The study of male adolescents in Lima, described in the introduction, found that participants who had repeated a grade were more likely to be sexually active than those who had not repeated a grade (Chirinos et al, 2000). Two other studies in Latin America, one with female adolescents in Mexico City and one with female and male adolescents in Ecuador, showed that respondents with higher educational aspirations were less likely to have had sex (Park, Sneed, Morisky, Alvear, & Hearst, 2002; Pick de Weiss, Atkin, Gribble, & Andrade-Palos, 1991). Adolescent participants in this study individually rated being a good student and meeting future goals and objectives as highly important to their sexuality, but during the role plays and related discussions, they highlighted the complexities related to future aspirations in the current context.…”

Gender-Role Attitudes and Reproductive Health Communication among Female Adolescents in South Nyanza, Kenya1

“…This categorization is based on existing literature (e.g. De Weiss et al 1991;Barker and Rich 1992) which has mainly emphasized the distinctive role of peers and parents in the adolescent socialization process. In this model, we consider the index of gender-role attitudes as the covariate of interest.…”

Sexual Milestones and Factors Associated with Coitus Initiation Among Israeli High School Students

“…Adolescents have still largely been approached as a high risk group because of their engagement in sexual behavior while lacking in maturity, forethought, skills, and experience (Pedlow & Carey, 2004;Persson, 1993;Rosenthal, Smith, & De Visser, 1999;Scott, Reppucci, & Woollard, 1995). Adolescent behavior has been largely viewed through the lens of the HIV/AIDS and STDs (Brooks-Gunn & Furstenberg, 1990;DiClemente, 1993;Gagnon, 1988;Weiss, Whelan, & Gupta, 1996), unwanted pregnancies and abortions (Jones, 1986;Pick de Weiss, Atkin, Gribble, & Andrade-Palos, 1991;Saito, 1998), and problem behaviors (Epstein & Tamir, 1984;Jessor & Jessor, 1977;.…”