Essay about Sample Research Proposal on Teenage Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy is surprisingly decreasing over the years. According to Farber, “the most recent studies have shown that there has been a decrease in the rate of pregnancies among all teenagers and among sexually active teenagers (16). Although this issue seems is decreasing this is still a problem faced by many teenage girls today. Each year, 7.5 percent of all 15-19 year old women become pregnant (Maynard 1). Not only does this issue affects the pregnant teen but it also affects the economy. Teen pregnancy affects graduation rates. Many teen mothers cite pregnancy as the key reason of them not finishing school. Only 40 percent of teen mothers finish high school (Teen Pregnancy Affects Graduation Rates). The 60 percent of teen mothers

Mothers who performed poor in academic and have a lower educational level can both play as risks factor in teen pregnancy. According to Finer & Zolna (2014), the percentage of pregnancies for those who are not high school graduates yet had the highest percentage of unintended pregnancies. This statistic of those who are not high school graduates yet were compared to high school graduates, some colleges, associates and college graduates. The percentage of unintended pregnancy in not high school graduates were 54% compared to 31% of those who have college degrees. The results showed that the number of unintended and intended pregnancies in not high school graduates and high school graduates keep on increasing from 2001-2008, while the number of unintended and intended pregnancies in college degrees keep on decreasing from 2001-2008.

Teenage pregnancy makes couples more responsible, they quickly finish the school and start working in order to be independent. According to recent reports, teen mothers now complete high school or get a GED which was not the case in the past (Guttmacher Institute: Facts on American Teens Sexual and Reproductive Health).

The most reliable estimates by a recent study suggest that “giving birth as a teen is associated with a decline in the probability of graduating from high school (-0.08) and a reduction in income and total wages of $2,200 to $2,400.” It is important to note that often, this decreased economic capacity is paired with far more demands on the mother’s income, making the economic effects even more devastating. Teenage childbearing does not only create problems for the mother; using the same method as the previous paper (comparing teen couples who underwent a miscarriage against those who had a live birth), Fletcher and Wolfe determined that teenage fatherhood reduces the likelihood of obtaining a high school diploma by 15%, which is has lifetime economic effects (Fletcher and Wolfe "The Effects of Teenage Fatherhood on Young Adult Outcomes" 11).

Clemmitt (2010) states that currently the most effective approach to prevent teenage pregnancy is evidence-based sex education programs. The primary debate about the best method of preventing teenage pregnancy is between abstinence-only courses and comprehensive sex education. The author says that after operating comprehensive sex education, the Obama approach, many communities and county areas have drastically reduced the rate of teenage pregnancy. Studies and statistics suggested that abstinence-only courses have not contributed to reduce teenage pregnancy rates. The author points out that the abstinence-only courses also include sexually transmitted diseases classes and discussions of unhealthy relationship and making decisions, and abstinence

Teenage pregnancy and parenthood are often seen as strictly negative and problematic, with the moral panic surrounding them only growing as media and government play a role in perpetuating these ideas of negativity surrounding them. Though it is a contentious issue, what are often ignored are the underlying causes of the social phenomena that are teenage pregnancy and parenthood. The experiences of poverty and social exclusion by many pregnant teens and teen parents have not been proven to be more severe than what these young people were experiencing before, so it brings into question the validity of the moral panic as well as the aims of programs meant to decrease teen pregnancy and parenthood. Looking at teen pregnancy and parenthood, first

It has been receiving a great deal of public and official attention recently, including expressions of concern from President Clinton (Trad, 1999). However, the most extensive dilemma regarding the issue of adolescent pregnancy is the question of prevention. Preventing teen pregnancy includes such problems as the availability of birth control, sexual education among children and adolescents, and a greater sense of support for pregnant teens. However, before society can begin to successfully prevent pregnancies among teenage girls, the underlying causes and facts about the dilemma must first be exposed

Health care professionals need to recognize the factors that may eventually increase the number of teen pregnancies even though their state may not be one of the leading numbers of teenage pregnancy. This is the main principle of prevention. The three levels of prevention can be applied to pregnancy prevention. “Primary prevention consists mainly of activities to keep people healthy before onset of disease” (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008, p. 907). The “disease” in the case of pregnancy is more of a state of being than a disease but can be applied the same. The beginning of this level of prevention will begin with assessment of risk behavior and intervention of education on how to avoid pregnancy, mostly though behavior (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). So like mentioned above, if there are risk factors that a client has including a single parent home, the nurse can be aware that he or she may be more likely to become pregnant at a young age and provide he or she with the most appropriate interventions and education. Education at this stage of prevention can be methods to prevent from becoming pregnant including use of contraceptive pills, condoms, etc. These interventions can help reduce the client’s risk of getting pregnant. This may also be education that is provided, not only to the person who may get

Teenage pregnancy is a growing problem in the United States today. As of 2010, 57.84% of 15-19 year old girls will become pregnant, which is especially high as compared to the rates of other developed countries. (Kost, 3) Why are unplanned pregnancy rates in teenagers so high? There are various factors that contribute to these high teen pregnancy rates, but one major factor is the type of sexual education that teenagers receives. While attention to abstinence in sexual education can be beneficial, it is when sexual education focuses solely on abstinence that teen pregnancy rates increase. Comprehensive sex education in schools has been shown to lower the rates of teen pregnancy more than abstinence only sex education has, and therefore should

Researchers have found a wide range of outcomes in terms of schooling as a result of giving birth as a teenagers. While some scholars argue that adolescent pregnancies have a significant negative impact on education, at times even reporting that teen mothers receive up to three years of less schooling than their childless counterparts, an overwhelming amount of evidence suggests that early childbearing has no substantial impact on educational attainment, negative effects being minimal and often

Fergusson, D.M. & Woodward, L.J. (2000), ‘Teenage pregnancy and female educational underachievement: A prospective study of a New Zealand birth cohort’, Journal of Marriage and the Family, vol. 62, no. 1, pp

By having all these new problems to deal with without a fully developed maturity the mother can also suffer from emotional and mental stagnation. Her peers may reject her as society deems teenage pregnancy unacceptable. She may feel humiliated and ashamed after her pregnancy begins to show, so then she refuses to finish school and as a result she lessens her ability to effectively raise her child. When teenage mother are pregnant, they are the least likely of all maternal age groups to get early and regular prenatal care. There are many teen mothers who receive late or no prenatal care at all. After giving birth, the majority of girls drop out of school in order to care of the baby. If there is no one else to share the endless amount of work, she must assume full responsibility. She may be forced to pursue employment with a minimal of earning potential due to her lack of education. This scenario tends to breed an unstable and financially insecure parent, and the child may also suffer from neglect by the constantly working mother.

While many people are inclined to express indifference regarding this concept, teen pregnancy is one of the most controversial topics in the contemporary society. This experience can be devastating for some individuals, as the fact that they are raw makes it difficult for them to effectively deal with the problem. Society becomes more stressing and most teens who become pregnant come to express feelings related to shame and fear. The fact that these individuals are hesitant about letting their parents know that they are pregnant contributes to their problems and finding help sometimes becomes an impossible mission. Lack of life experience materializes into a more severe type of stress, endangering both the mother and the child.

Many teenagers are now becoming parents these days. In fact, from the ages of 15-19, there were 249,078 babies born in the United States. (1) Many of these unwanted pregnancies can be prevented with the help sexual education. Yes, in some schools there is sexual education. But, if it was in every school many of these could have possibly been prevented. At the school I attend, sexual education is not offered. We are faced with several unwanted pregnancies, and with sexual education, I think these could be prevented.

The problems of early teenage mothers are irrefutable. Some factors that are seen to contribute to teenage pregnancy are educational failure, poverty, unemployment and low self-esteem these are understood to be the results of a negative outcome of an early childhood. For example, recent studies suggest that most adolescent mothers had already made the decision to leave school before they had become pregnant. On the other hand, adolescents still in school when they give birth are as likely to graduate the same as their peers. It is not clear how well the adolescents with the most problems would have fared in the future even without early parenthood.