title: Pregnancy wantedness in adolescents presenting for pregnancy testing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore and describe dimensions of pregnancy wantedness in adolescents who present for pregnancy testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescents presenting for pregnancy testing at a multiservice teen center were invited to participate by completing the Pregnancy Importance Questionnaire while awaiting the results of their pregnancy test. Eighty-nine adolescents responded to questions concerning their desire for pregnancy, knowledge and access to birth control information and supplies, and expectations of how a pregnancy would change their lives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 7% wanted the pregnancy test to be positive, 60% wanted it to be negative, and 33% were not sure. There was a moderately low (1.97 out of 5) desire for pregnancy, a moderately high (3.11 out of 5) knowledge of and access to birth control, and moderately low (2.08 out of 5) expected changes with a pregnancy. There were no differences in these dimensions by age group (early, middle, and late adolescence).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All clinicians working with adolescents should explore sexual risk-taking and pregnancy prevention measures among these clients. Appropriate counseling and follow-up is necessary for adolescents who present for pregnancy testing, whether the pregnancy test is positive or negative.
authors.affiliation: University of North Florida, Department of Nursing, Jacksonville 32224, USA. kbloom@unf.edu
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000523:psychology; D011258:Pregnancy Tests / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D015144:Southeastern United States; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data