REACTION TO ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY

Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »

CHAPTER2 Literature review

INTRODUCTION

In the previous chapter an outline was given of the dissertation. In this chapter the literature is given as pertaining to the problems related to teenage motherhood as investigated by various researchers. The literature was also consulted to compare the findings of this research. The literature control of the findings is discussed in chapter 4.
Adolescence is seen as the onset of puberty, although many cultures may differ widely over when it ends. However, the purely biological approach to the definition of adolescence overlooks important social and legal consideration. Chui (in Paxman & Zuckerman 1989:4) maintains that it is difficult to define teenagers in general terms:
In many developing countries, especially in rural and underdeveloped areas, a girl is often considered to be an adult at the time when menstruation is established regularly. They tend to marry early and do not go to school. The transition from childhood to adulthood in such cases is quick, and the notion of adolescence does not exist. On the other hand, in developed countries and increasingly in urban areas of developing countries where rapid social changes are taking place with modernization, young people go to school and tend to marry late. There is a long transition from childhood to adulthood, and the notion of adolescence emerges. There is thus a continuum between quick and slow transition in different societies.
Solutions to health problems such as the problems the teenage mothers is experiencing rely on understanding the interrelatedness of underlying and more, direct factors and consequences, and the adoption of holistic intervention strategies (Mwaikambo 1995:6; Oral Roberts University, Anna Vaughn School of Nursing 1990:136, 142).

THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM

In the following section the extent of the problem of teenage pregnacies is described including the sexual behaviour and use of contraceptives by teenagers.

Sexual behaviour of teenagers

Lui, Slap, Kinsman and Khalid ( 1994:336) state that a notable increase has been found in the past years in the incidence of high-risk behaviour such as pregnancy, school drop out and alcohol abuse, to name but a few, among teenagers in many countries of the world. In addition, statistics of other countries in Africa has shown that in the year ending September 1985 teenagers constituted 26,0 percent of the total 1 255 patients delivered at St Barnabas Hospital in Transkei (O’Mahony 1987:771, 773; Boisseau-Goodwin 1993:131). It was suggested that more than 40,0 percent of teenage births in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and Togo were unwanted (Anastasia, Gage & Meekers 1993:14-17). Among these countries, Botswana had the highest proportion (75,0%) of unwanted births.
In a study conducted in South Africa by Bo ult and Cunningham ( 1992b: 162) it was found that 38,0 percent of teenagers were sexually active by the age of 14 years. By age 15 years 78,0 percent were sexually active. These researchers established that the mean age for teenagers to be sexually active was 14,7 years.
The results of research on the actual dating behaviour of South African teenagers by Olivier( 1996:6) indicated thatthe rate of sexual involvement as relationships become more serious, is rising. More than 9,0 percent (9,7%) of the respondents in this study indicated that they had sexual intercourse during the first date; 15,4 percent were sexually active after a number of dates; 18,6 percent after going steady and 33,2 percent after they established a serious relationship.

Contraceptive use by teenagers

A study by Bault and Cunningham (1992b:162) conducted in South Africa among 145 respondents found that 68,0 percent of respondents never used any form of contraceptives and 85,0 percent were not using contraceptives at the time of falling pregnant. Only one boyfriend used a condom. Only six out of the 145 respondents in the study planned the pregnancy and 90,0 percent would rather not have fallen pregnant.
Although health statistics in Swaziland might be outdated or is poorly documented some findings may still be of value today. Dia mini ( 1995:6) found that teenagers in Swaziland are sexually active but also unfortunately ignorant about contraceptives to prevent pregnancy and motherhood in their vulnerable years (Rapid Evaluation Methodology 1996:8), as indicated in the following table.

 Sexual behaviour and reproduction among teenage girls of age 10 to19 years in Swaziland

Edelman and Mandie ( 1998:567) state that while older teenagers (in the age group 15 to 19 years) are increasingly using contraception, younger ones (in the age group 10 to 15 years) remain less likely to do so. Reasons for this include the younger teenager’s cognitive immaturity (lack of appreciation of consequences of their actions); the need for acknowledgement of sexuality to themselves and the characteristics of teenage relationships, that is, tendency to be brief and acutely felt so that intercourse may not be anticipated.
According to the survey done by Harris (1986:437-449), two-thirds of teenagers who are sexually active do not always use birth control and 27,0 percent say they never use it. The single reason that teenagers most commonly give for having unprotected sex is that the occasion for sex arose unexpectedly, with no time to prepare, 21 percent of those who usually had sexual intercourse without contraceptives state this as a reason.
Most teenagers who have had intercourse by the age of 17 say that their first experience was unanticipated (American Academy of Paediatrics Committee on Adolescence 1986:535-536)- two-thirds according to the Harris Poll (Harris & Associates 1986:451 ).
Only 41,0 percent of sexually active teenagers use contraceptives the first time they have intercourse and many fail to use contraceptives on subsequent occasions (Harris & Associates 1986:451) or fail to use them properly. When asked why their peers do not use contraceptives, nearly 40,0 percent said that young people either prefer not to use birth control, do not think about it or do not care, enjoy sex more without it, or want to get pregnant (Harris 1986:451-452).
Guild (1992:10) found that teenagers in Swaziland begin sexual activity at early age and many have multiple partners. When asked why they prefer many partners, they claimed they wanted variety, experience, popularity, money and faced competition.
According to Soult and Cunningham (1992b:159), teenage pregnancies and teenage motherhood in particular is seen as a major problem in the world and in the third world countries in particular. In Africa it has reached crisis proportions.
Teenage pregnancy and motherhood rates, from official sources, often differ from that of smaller studies done in certain areas. Whatever the source of the statistics may be, the figures are nevertheless extremely high. A study conducted by Eden (1985:98) indicated that world-wide 61 000 babies were born to teenage mothers in 1980, and 77 372 babies were born out of wedlock, one third of these were born to teenage mothers.
Although the teenage pregnancy and child bearing rates in the United States of America have since declined, the rates remain as high as 54,7 percent of 1 000 women in the group aged 15-19 years (Lesser & Escoto-Lloyd 1999:289).

Chapter I Orientation to this research
1.1 INTRODUCTION .
1.2 BACKGROUND OF THIS RESEARCH .
1.3 RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH
1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH .
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH .
1.7 PARADIGMATIC PERSPECTIVE
1.8 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD
1.9 LITERATURE REVIEW AND LITERATURE CONTROL
1.10 TRUSTWORTHINESS AND TRANSFERABILITY OF THE RESEARCH
1.11 AN OVERVIEW OF THE ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS .
1.12 LIMITATIONS
1.13 CHAPTER LAYOUT
1.14 SUMMARY
CHAPTER2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM
2.3 FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO TEENAGE PREGNANCY AND MOTHERHOOD
2.4 THE PROBLEMS OF THE TEENAGE MOTHER IN RELATION TO THE ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT STAGE
2.5 REACTION TO ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY
2.6 MEASURES TO REDUCE TEENAGE PREGNANCY AND MOTHERHOOD
2. 7 HEAL TH SERVICES FOR THE TEENAGE MOTHER AND HEAL TH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF THE TEENAGE MOTHER
2.8 SUMMARY
CHAPTER3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.3 RESEARCH METHOD
3.4 DATA COLLECTION METHODS
3.5 PERMISSION FOR THE STUDY
3.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
3.7 ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
3.8 ASSESSMENT OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
3.9 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
3.10 SUMMARY
CHAPTER4 RESEARCH FINDINGS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 OBJECTIVES OF THIS RESEARCH
4.3 RESEARCH FINDINGS
4.4 DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN CODES AND SUB-CODES
4.5 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND LIMITATIONS
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH
5.3 CONCLUSIONS
5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS
5.5 LIMITATIONS
5.6 SUMMARY
6 BIBLIOGRAPHY
GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT