Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy: Biological, Social, Cultural, and Political Influences on Age at First Sexual Intercourse

Abstract

Age at first sexual intercourse (AFSI) is the initial factor related to adolescents' sexual life that may increase the risk of adolescent pregnancy. We explored the biological, social, cultural, and political predictors of AFSI addressing several gaps that prevent us from generalizing the results of past research to adolescent pregnancy prevention. We also explored the moderating effects of cultural variables on the links between social and political predictors and AFSI. Our sample consisted of 889 Portuguese female adolescents aged 12-19. Earlier age at menarche, non-intact family structure, maternal history of adolescent pregnancy, lower maternal emotional warmth, absence of religious involvement, and living in Portugal's mainland and in a legal context penalizing abortion predicted earlier AFSI. School attendance predicted earlier AFSI among adolescents of European ethnic origin; adolescents of non-European ethnic origin presented the opposite, but non-significant, pattern. These findings suggest that, in addition to isolated characteristics, factors from different ecological contexts should be considered when planning interventions designed to foster healthy and informed transitions to sexual initiation and prevent the related risks of unwanted outcomes. We discuss implications for future research and practice.

Sociodemographic, sexual, and reproductive variables associated with pregnancy among adolescents from low socioeconomic background

“…The absence of differences regarding the occurrence of school failure and desired pregnancies between the two countries is also consistent with previous studies conducted in each one of them (Pires, Araújo-Pedrosa, Pereira, et al, 2014;Santos, Benute, Soares, Lobo, & de Lucia, 2014). Adolescents from vulnerable backgrounds, in the face of limited environmental resources and severe financial needs, often value marriage, motherhood, and housekeeping more than pursuing an academic or professional career.…”

“…Furthermore, in line with previous research (e.g., Aquino et al, 2003;Heilborn & Cabral, 2011;Heilborn et al, 2002), Brazilian adolescents revealed earlier entrance into the job market and more premature marriage than Portuguese adolescents (Araújo-Pedrosa et al, 2011;Pires, Araújo-Pedrosa, Pereira, et al, 2014). These differences were significant for both groups (i.e., adolescents who became pregnant and never-pregnant adolescents) and suggest social, cultural and financial specificities across countries that should be considered when planning preventive interventions.…”

“…Ethnic background was assessed using a multiple-choice question, which was dummy coded into 0 = Caucasian and 1 = other (e.g., African, Indian, Asian, Romani). This codification was based on scientific and government data that indicate the reference group Caucasian as the most frequent ethnic group in both countries (e.g., IBGE, 2020; Pires, Araújo-Pedrosa, Pereira, et al, 2014).…”

“…However, in the final model, only two of these variables remained significant explicative factors for adolescent pregnancy among the vulnerable population considered in our study: the adolescents who used condoms were 74% less likely to become pregnant than those who were not using this method, and each additional year in school decreased the likelihood of adolescent pregnancy by 53%. Thus, multidisciplinary efforts should be made at the individual, family and community levels to promote the correct use of effective methods to avoid pregnancy among Portuguese adolescents, but also to promote school attendance, as it may contribute to adolescents' sense of self-worth and competence and may allow for the emergence of more diverse life projects and expectations (Pires, Araújo-Pedrosa, Pereira, et al, 2014).…”

Community social capital on the timing of sexual debut and teen birth in Nicaragua: a multilevel approach

“…Our community education variable was shown to influence both sexual onset and first birth. Communities with high percentage of inhabitants with secondary school and higher education are expected to have higher levels of social development [ 54 ]. Prior research has established that more developed areas are less likely to follow conservative and traditional lifestyle, thus the observed positive association of community education with sexual onset may reflect departure from traditional norms (e.g., delayed sexual debut) [ 9 , 37 ].…”