SOCIO-CULTURAL CAUSES OF UNWANTED TEENAGE PREGNANCY
Victoria-Jardon Ana Maria
CLACSO. Posdoctorate student, México
ABSTRACT
This is the initial report of a post-doctoral project aimed to the understanding and containment of teenage pregnancy. The teenage pregnancy represents a high risk of health, due to the fact that the adolescent women have not yet consolidated their physical development and are not in the emotional and economic conditions for dealing with this situation. Social and medical problem has been intensified in spite of the wide distribution of information and access to contraceptive methods, and it affects not only the personal and family life of women, but that also sharpens the conditions of poverty. An exploratory study was conducted with the interview of 20 cases, divided in pregnant adolescents and their mothers, and non-pregnant adolescents and their mothers. All of them are urban marginated population in Mexico City. The results show that none of the young pregnant adolescents wanted to be pregnant, prior to this condition they suffer lack of goals for their future, low self-esteem, disinterest in school's aspects, loneliness and boredom. In contrast the non-pregnant young adolescents have school interests, career and general life goals. Mothers of pregnant teenagers have lack transmission of clear ideas about sexuality, contraception and consequences of unwanted pregnancy and did not have special monitoring of the activities of their daughters. Mothers of non-pregnant adolescents covered the sexuality items and show concern about their consequences and keep close monitoring of the activities of their daughters. This preliminary study shows that besides dissemination of information and access to contraceptive methods, the absence of academic goals and life, tendency to low self-esteem, the lack of participation of the mother in the open information about pregnancy and its consequences, as well as keep abreast of the activities of the daughters are important as a risk factor for unwanted pregnancy in adolescents. Full and deeper investigation about "Understanding and containment of unwanted pregnancy in adolescents" includes greater depth on these aspects.
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