| Summary |
In spite of extensive family planning programs in the United States, the number of unplanned pregnancies are increasing at an alarming rate, especially among teenagers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between selected sociodemographic variables, adolescent life change events, and the incidence of pregnancy. Nonpredictive convenience sampling was used for the selection of 31 female adolescents aged 14-19 years enrolled in family planning and prenatal clinics in a rural health department in eastern North Carolina. Each subject completed two questionnaires, an investigator generated personal data questionnaire and Yeaworth's Life Change Events Questionnaire. For the purpose of this study, sociodemographic variables included race, marital status, employment status, educational status, school performance, parents' educational level, and sexual activity'. Adolescent life change events was measured as a "variety of personal, social, family, and occupational life changes which required adjustment of the adolescent and thus, presumably created stress as defined by Seyle" (Yeaworth, York, Hussey, Ingle, & Goodwin, 1980, p. 92). The incidence of pregnancy was defined as the frequency of the occurrence of a pregnancy during the past year among any of the participants. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.01) between the educational status, school performance, and the incidence of pregnancy among the subjects. Those subjects in the Never Pregnant Group were in school full-time (92.3%), whereas those subjects in the Pregnant Group were not enrolled in school (53.8%) at the time of this study. The majority of the Never Pregnant Group performed more positively in school than the Pregnant subjects who missed more time in school, received more suspensions from school, and dropped out of school more frequently than the Never Pregnant subjects. Cross tabulation showed no statistically significant difference in the life change events among the Never Pregnant and Pregnant subjects. Both groups reported similar life events that had occurred in the past year. The life change events related to illness, problems with parents, and a close girlfriend getting pregnant were scored as high stressors among the subjects in this study. This finding concurred with Yeaworth et al's (1980) that events of family problems, illness, and a close girlfriend getting pregnant are high stressful adolescent life events. |
