title: "Good little girls": reports of pregnant adolescents and those who know them best.
abstract: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to identify characteristics and themes in the lives of pregnant adolescents. Eight pregnant adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age were recruited from a large public prenatal clinic. Half the adolescents were African-American and half were European American. Fully 75% lived in middle-income families and 25% in lower income families. At the time of participation in the study, 75% remained in high school and 25% had dropped out. The girls identified their mothers as "the person who knows me best." The eight dyads participated in individual interviews. The adolescents' views of themselves, of their characteristics and behavior, and their mothers' perceptions of the adolescents' characteristics and behaviors were elicited. Home observation notes and demographic data also were collected. The template method of content analysis and a codebook from two preliminary pilot studies were used to analyze the interview data. Findings included reports that these pregnant adolescents had adult responsibilities at an early age, which frequently included child care of younger siblings. The families viewed the girls as mature and obedient, and the mothers did not think the adolescents were sexually active prior to the pregnancy. It is significant that these teenagers were frequently reported to be "good little girls," and others did not view them as at-risk. The findings from this study can be used for early identification of adolescents at risk for becoming pregnant and to develop specific preventive measures.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing, Galveston 77555-1029, USA. jivey@utmb.edu
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ivey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003717:Denial, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires