			Home About us Contact

Adolescent Pregnancy (adolescent + pregnancy)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	85%

Selected Abstracts

The Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Adolescent Pregnancy: An Integrative Research Review

JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN PEDIATRIC NURSING, Issue 4 2008
Melissa A. Francisco
PURPOSE.,This study aims to describe the current research literature on the relationship of childhood sexual abuse and adolescent pregnancy and highlight the potential cross-cutting risk factors. DESIGN AND METHODS.,Thirteen articles were identified as the basis of this review using Cooper's methodology (1998) for synthesizing research. Articles were categorized according to the levels of evidence proposed by Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt (2005). RESULTS.,The majority of the studies identified a relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adolescent pregnancy (n = 9). Cross-cutting risk factors included female gender, younger age, substance use/abuse, family constellation, parent,child conflict, and mother disengagement. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS.,Strategies for nurses to identify pregnant and parenting adolescents who have been sexually victimized are important for early intervention. Resiliency factors of young people who report positive outcomes are highlighted. [source]

Nutritional status in pregnant adolescents: a systematic review of biochemical markers

MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION, Issue 2 2007
Victoria Hall Moran
Abstract Adolescent pregnancy is a major public health challenge for many industrialized countries and is associated with significant medical, nutritional, social and economic risk for mothers and their infants. Despite this, relatively little is known about the nutritional status of this population. The aim of this paper was to conduct a systematic review of the current evidence relating to the biochemical markers of nutritional status of pregnant adolescents living in industrialized countries. Six papers were identified that fulfilled the inclusion criteria, the majority of which were conducted in the United States. The studies were of variable quality and most failed to control for potential confounders which may have strongly influenced the findings. Due to limited research, conclusions cannot be drawn about the zinc and calcium status of pregnant adolescents, and data on folate and vitamin B12 status appeared conflicting. There was some consensus among studies, however, to suggest that indicators of anaemia and iron status were compromised in pregnant adolescents, particularly during the third trimester of pregnancy. Chronological age did not appear to influence nutritional status, although there was some evidence to suggest that increasing gynaecologic age may positively influence plasma ferritin levels. Current research is limited by sampling and measurement bias, and research is urgently required to address these limitations. Further consideration should also be made of the influence of the role of socio-economic support on pregnant adolescents' nutritional status. The achievement of improved nutrition in pregnancy among adolescents requires multidisciplinary collaborations of adolescent healthcare providers, academics, professional organizations, policymakers, industry and service users. Only once this is achieved can adolescent nutrition, and adolescent nutrition in pregnancy, be significantly and sustainably optimized. [source]

Adolescent primiparas: Changes in obstetrical risk between 1983,1987 and 1999,2005

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2008
Willibald Zeck
Abstract Aims:, Teenage pregnancies have always been considered at increased risk for obstetric complications. Deliveries in adolescent primiparas in the 5-year time periods 1983,1987 and 1999,2005 were compared against each other, the general population and against primiparas aged 20,29 years in order to reveal trends and differences in obstetric outcome. Methods:, A total of 186 primiparas delivering at an age of 17 or less between October 1999 and October 2005 were compared with 353 adolescent primiparas delivered between 1983 and 1987. Type of delivery and complications such as low birthweight, pre-eclampsia, breech presentation and third stage complications were studied. Results:, The percentage of adolescents in the overall obstetric population decreased. The cesarean section rate remained the same in the adolescents while increasing in the general population. Rates of low birthweight and operative vaginal delivery increased in the adolescent group and overall. Third stage complications (abnormally adherent or incomplete placentas) decreased in both groups. There were no intrauterine fetal deaths in adolescent pregnancies in either time period. Other obstetric variables were unchanged in the adolescent as well as in the general population between 1999 and 2005. When comparing the adolescents' outcome with the outcome of the 20,29-year-old primiparas between 1999 and 2005, it was noted that the rates of abstracted obstetric variables were higher in the population of the 20,29-year-olds. Conclusions:, The obstetric outcome of adolescent pregnancies has remained favorable over the last 18 years. We do not consider adolescence as an obstetrical risk. We suggest that adolescent pregnancy is more a public health issue than a clinical problem. [source]

The Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Adolescent Pregnancy: An Integrative Research Review

Adolescent primiparas: Changes in obstetrical risk between 1983,1987 and 1999,2005

Risky Parental Behavior and Adolescent Sexual Activity at First Coitus

THE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2002
Esther I. Wilder
In comparison with other industrialized countries, the United States has exceptionally high rates of adolescent pregnancy and abortion. In 1999, nearly half of high-school students reported having had sexual intercourse, and 6 percent said they had been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant (CDC 2000). American adolescents are especially unlikely to use birth control, and those who do practice contraception tend to rely on inefficient methods (Forrest 1990). Sexual behavior at first intercourse is of particular interest because early entry into sexual activity is associated with contraceptive nonuse and a heightened risk of pregnancy (Abma and Sonenstein 2001; Koenig and Zelnik 1982; Zabin, Kantner, and Zelnik 1979). Moreover, the timing of first intercourse may be a useful marker for risky sexual behavior and a history of sexually transmitted diseases (Greenberg, Magder, and Aral 1992). For example, age at first intercourse is inversely associated with the number of lifetime sexual partners (McGuire et al. 1992). Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) were used to examine the impact of parents' behavior on adolescents' sexual experience and contraceptive use. All else being equal, adolescents whose parents engage in risky behaviors are especially likely to be sexually active and to have had sex before age 15. These findings are only partly attributable to the link between parents' risky behaviors (smoking, drinking, driving without seatbelts) and adolescents' risky behaviors (smoking, drinking, delinquent activity, association with substance-using peers). Although parental behaviors are effective predictors of adolescents' sexual activity, they are not effective predictors of contraceptive use or of method choice at first coitus. Overall, parents with low levels of self-efficacy seem to be especially likely to have children at risk of engaging in problem behaviors. [source]

Low-Income Latina Mothers' Expectations for Their Pregnant Daughters' Autonomy and Interdependence

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2008
Erum Nadeem
Forty-five pregnant Latina adolescents and their mothers (23 English-speaking, 22 Spanish-speaking) were videotaped conversing about feelings and plans related to the adolescent's pregnancy. The prevalence of the mothers' messages about the daughter's reliance on the family unit (interdependence) and the daughter's self-sufficiency (autonomy) were related to adolescents' reported and observed feelings about their pregnancies, pending motherhood challenges, and their relationships with their mothers. Increased interdependence messages appeared to denote positive family relations among Spanish-speaking dyads, in that these adolescents reported more positive feelings about their pregnancy, perceived that their mothers felt more positive, and perceived more maternal social support and open communication. The role of interdependence messages was less clear for adolescents from English-speaking families. Higher levels of maternal autonomy messages had positive associations for both groups, in that it was related to higher disclosure about concerns about childcare needs among adolescents from English-speaking families, and about educational goals for adolescents from Spanish-speaking families. [source]