These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed


  • Title: Adolescent pregnancy and sex roles.
    Author: Ireson CJ.
    Journal: Sex Roles; 1984 Aug; 11(3-4):189-201. PubMed ID: 12266939.
    Abstract:
    This study seeks to link adolescent pregnancy with several aspects of sex-role traditionality and other variables that may be related to sex roles. It is hypothesized that orientation to traditional sex roles is related to the occurrence of pregnancy among sexually active teenagers. For the study sample of teenage females receiving birth control or pregnancy testing services, it is hypothesized that the pregnant teenagers will be more likely than other teenagers to be oriented toward traditional sex roles. The sample consisted of 161 young women, ranging in age from 13-18, with an average age of 16.5 years. Data were collected at selected health related agencies in a city in the Pacific Northwest by staff members who were blind to the hypotheses of the study. The respondents usually completed a brief questionnaire while they waited for a desired service. Of the total sample, 43 were pregnant; 34 had positive pregnancy tests and 9 others already knew they were pregnant when they filled out the questionnaire. 82 obtained birth control information or services and 36 experienced negative pregnancy tests. These groups are referred to as the pregnant group, the birth control group, and the negative pregnancy test group. Sex role values were determined by asking the respondent to indicate degree of agreement or disagreement with a series of opinion statements. The results provide some support for the main hypothesis. Pregnant teenagers were more likely than others to be oriented toward traditional sex roles. Pregnant teenagers, when compared with the birth control seeking group, showed more traditional sex-typing of activities, lower educational expectations and occupational aspirations, lower grades, and were more likely to have dropped out of school. There was only 1 significant difference between the pregnant adolescents and those in the negative pregnant test group. The pregnant teens had lower educational expectations. When all the independent and control variables were included in a single multivariate analysis, pregnant teens compared to birth control seeking teens had lower socioeconomic status (SES), more traditional sex-typing of activities, less traditional occupational aspirations, less sense of personal control, and lower school grades. In the other group comparison, pregnant teens compared to the teens with negative pregnancy tests had lower SES, educational expectations, and sense of personal control. When exploring the relationships between group membership and each relevant variable, the hypothesized pattern emerged. In terms of policy implications, the study findings suggest that programs and other changes addressing the relationship between traditionality and teen pregnancy are needed.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]