title: Psychosocial profile of pregnant adolescents in a large Australian regional area.
abstract: A psychosocial profile was developed of 122 pregnant adolescents attending a public hospital antenatal clinic in a large regional Australian area. Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Support Behaviours Inventory and were interviewed to obtain psychosocial and demographic information. Results revealed that those who were most likely to have either or a combination of poor self-esteem, lack of social support, be unemployed or smoke, were more likely to be living alone or with friends, not have a partner or have a partner for a shorter period, have a partner who was older, have previous children, have not planned their pregnancy and have less education. The degree of social support was significantly associated with self-esteem. Over half of the sample smoked, and over half were unemployed. These results underscore the importance of addressing psychosocial factors in the implementation of care for the pregnant adolescent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Grenyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012649:Self Concept; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires