Planned Adolescent Pregnancy: Themes Related to the Pregnancy

Abstract

Health-care providers need to recognize that not all adolescent pregnancies occur as a result of error. A small subset of adolescents intentionally plan their pregnancy. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of 14-to 17-year-old pregnant females who had planned their pregnancies. Participants were recruited from one prenatal clinic at a large tertiary medical center in the eastern region of the United States. Three themes emerged from participant interviews that were related to the adolescents' pregnancies. Themes included living environment issues, adjustment to the pregnancy, and an increased motivation to do well in school and work to provide a good life for their infants. Understanding the phenomena of planned adolescent pregnancy can provide a basis for health-care providers to provide support to adolescent females in this life transition. Understanding the common experience of these adolescents can assist health-care providers to develop individualized interventions to best meet these young women's needs and to improve birth outcomes among this population.Journal of Perinatal Education, 13(4), 27e35; adolescent pregnancy, planned pregnancy.

Intended Adolescent Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

“…Two studies employed a hermeneutic approach to data analysis and one used by-person factor analysis of Q-sort data. One author used a method proposed by Giorgi (1970) (Montgomery 2001(Montgomery , 2002(Montgomery , 2004 and in one cohort the methods were described as both thematic analysis and hermeneutic analysis (Spear 2001(Spear , 2004.…”

“…Four articles Montgomery 2001Montgomery , 2002Montgomery , 2004) had a primary focus intended teenage pregnancy. The remaining studies included in the review were designed to answer questions not immediately related to the subject, but incorporated direct examination of pregnancy intendedness.…”

Renewal and Risk: The Dual Experience of Young Motherhood and Aging Out of the Child Welfare System

“…Their experience of purpose as mothers may also be unique. Unlike other teenage mothers who may have previously experienced a familially derived sense of purpose (Montgomery, 2004), participants, regardless of the number of children they have, often noted that parenting offered their first-time experience of drawing a sense of value from an interpersonal relationship. Indeed, this newly found purpose was consistently discussed in tandem with reflections on their childhood loss of purpose and value-the loss of one's sense of familial belonging and a home.…”

The paradox of acceptance: A content analysis of Iranian married female adolescent in confronting pregnancy

“…Furthermore, some young females viewed pregnancy as a contributing factor to a stable and strong marital life. Loke & Lam (2014) found that stability in marital relations is the most effective factor in acceptance of pregnancy [19], which was confirmed by other studies too [24, 25]. However, this finding is inconsistent with the findings of Williams & Vines (1999); in the phenomenological study on pregnant female adolescents, they reported five themes including poor performance in the past, the disintegration of relationships, emotional separation, problem fixing, and reconnection.…”

“…Smith Battle & Leonard (1998) examined US adolescents experiences 4 years after the birth of their first child using a phenomenological approach and concluded that for some adolescents, early pregnancy means situating in a positive direction that reassures them about stability and a future full of hope; however, others feel reluctant and ambivalent about the pregnancy and parental acceptance [29]. Montgomery (2004) conducted a study by using the phenomenological approach to investigate the experiences of young females who had planned their pregnancy and found that planned pregnancy creates motivation for better and efficient performance [24]. The young females believed that their lives are difficult with pregnancy but they had decided to provide a better life for themselves and their child.…”