Teenage Pregnancy

Determinants and Psycho-

Social Consequences of
Teenage Pregnancy
By
Dr. Darshan K. Narang
Dr. Ranjana Vaishnav
Dr. Kavita Koradia
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 ABSTRACT

 INTRODUCTION

 OBJECTIVES

 METHODOLOGY

  RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

 Determinants of Teenage Pregnancy

 Psychosocial consequences of Teenage Pregnancy

  SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Teenage pregnancy in India caused by lower age at
marriage & effective marriage, socio & cultural
factors and less access to contraception.
It effects psycho-social health of women, includes
denial of education, denial of freedom, personal
development & inadequate socialization with fertility
& health status.
Teenage pregnancy is defined as a teenage or underage
girl (usually within the ages of 13–19) becoming
pregnant.
Early marriage and early pregnancy severely constrained
the prospects of all round development of young girls.
In India, early marriage and early pregnancy is more
common in traditional rural communities compared to
the rate in cities (Mayor, 2004). Save the
Children (2004) found that, annually 13 million children
are born to women under age 20 worldwide, more than
90% in developing countries. 
 For teens who did not use contraception at first
sex, 43 percent of girls have been involved in a
pregnancy (Suellentrop & Flanigan, 2006).
Population Council of India (2006) indicates that
young women's early sexual encounters within
marriage are often described as frightening and
non-consensual.
Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of
high school and live in poverty, and their children
frequently experience health and developmental
problems (Barnet et al., 2004; Breheny &
Stephens, 2007; Forum on Child & Family
Statistics, 2007; Hofferth et al., 2001; Hoffman,
2006).
Conceptual Framework of the
Study
Objective: To explore determinants and
psycho-social consequences of teenage
pregnancy.

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 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

•LOCALE OF THE STUDY:

•Rural areas of Bhilwara district of Rajasthan state were selected

purposively as the locale of study.

•SAMPLE AND ITS SELECTION:

•The multistage sampling procedure includes selection of Tehsils,

villages and finally, selection of respondents was done.

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I. DETERMINANTS OF
TEENAGE PREGNANCY
 Age at marriage (M-Age) and age
at effective marriage (G-Age )
 Socio-Cultural Factors
 Access to contraception
II. PSYCHO-SOCIAL
CONSEQUENCES OF
TEENAGE PREGNANCY
 Fertility outcome and health
status
 Denial of Education
 Denial of Freedom
 Personal Development and
Inadequate Socialization
 Result - I
Age at marriage and age at effective marriage

 The mean age at marriage for respondents was 10.45 years

while mean age at effective marriage was 14.8 years.
 The mean age at birth of first child of the respondents was
16.33 years.
 7%, 8% and 33% respondents had their first child at the age
of 14 years, 15 years and 16 years respectively.
 25%, 21.67% and 4.67% had their first child by the age of 17
years, 18 years and 19 years respectively.
 Results of One Way ANOVA showed the highly significant
impact of age at marriage (F=12.31) and age at Gauna
(F=38.16) on age at birth of first child.
 Table 1
Frequency (Crosstab) distribution of women’s age at birth of first
child (B-age) according to M-Age and G-Age

M-Age (in years) G-Age (in years)

B-Age
(in years) 0-9 10-14 15-18 0-9 10-14 15-19 Total Percentage
13 1 7 0 0 6 2 8 2.67
14 4 9 0 0 8 5 13 4.33
15 10 12 1 0 11 12 23 7.67
16 27 64 6 1 33 63 97 32.33
17 30 35 10 2 31 42 75 25.00
18 19 21 25 2 14 49 65 21.67
19 3 1 10 1 1 12 14 4.67
No child 0 3 2 0 1 4 5 1.67
Total 94 152 54 6 105 189 300 100
percentag
31.33 50.67 18 2 35 63
e
Results of One Way ANOVA showed the highly significant impact of age at
marriage (F=12.31) and age at Gauna (F=38.16) on age at birth of first child.
 Socio-Cultural Factors
Fifty two percent respondents confessed that they had
faced the family and societal pressure to bear a child
preferably a son soon after marriage; especially mother
in-law and husband. The reasons cited by them are as
 husband being the only child (25%),
 preference of male child is a major cause for too early, too frequent
and too many pregnancies (38%),
 Nagging and blaming by relatives and neighbors for not conceiving
(19%) and
 Stigma of infertility or fear of separation (18%).
Forty eight percent respondents reported that though
nobody forced them to get pregnant, but they themselves
were unaware of their first pregnancy.
 Access to contraception

It was found that only 14 percent respondents were

aware of any contraceptive method to avoid pregnancy at
the time of first cohabitation.
Only 36 percent respondents had undergone sterilization
to avoid repeated and unwanted pregnancy.
Thirty six percent respondents had not used any method
to delay pregnancy i.e. condoms and oral pills etc.
Recently, 72% and 86% respondents knew that
contraceptives are easily available and men could get
condoms free of cost.
 Result - II
Table 2
Frequency distribution of fertility outcome
Full Term
Spontaneou Induced Preterm
Still Birth Normal
B- s Abortion abortion Delivery
Delivery
AGE
n % n % n % n % n %

13 15 22.06 2 25.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 8 2.71

14 29 42.65 2 25.00 9 52.94 0 0.00 13 4.41
15 9 13.24 3 37.50 7 41.18 1 2.27 23 7.80
16 5 7.35 0 0.00 1 5.88 12 27.27 97 32.88
17 3 4.41 0 0.00 0 0.00 17 38.64 75 25.42
18 4 5.88 0 0.00 0 0.00 5 11.36 65 22.03
19 3 4.41 1 12.50 0 0.00 9 20.45 14 4.75
Total 68 23.05 8 2.71 17 5.76 44 14.92 295 100

The results of one way ANOVA revealed that fertility and health status is highly
affected by age at birth of first child of the respondents i.e. number of
pregnancies (F=18.99), Alive children (F=11.77), Abortion (F=12.87), Still birth
(F=18.99) and health status (F=2.20).
 Table 3
One Way ANOVA for PSC components on respondents’ age at birth
of first child

PSC components Groups S.S. DF M.S. F

Between
Denial of education
Groups 0.30 7 4.30 1.92*
Within Groups 6.54 292 2.24  
Total 6.84 299    
Between
Denial of freedom
Groups 31.93 7 4.56 1.99*
Within Groups 669.74 292 2.29  
Total 701.67 299    
Personal development
Between
and inadequate
Groups
socialization 31.22 7 4.46 1.96*
Within Groups 665.57 292 2.28  
Total 696.79 299    
Results of ANOVA reveled that PSC components are significantly affected by
age at birth of first child of the respondents i.e. Denial of education (F=1.92),
Denial of freedom (F=1.99), and Personal development and inadequate
socialization (F=1.96).
 Suggestions and Recommendations
 Effective implementation of the Law and Behaviour change communication
programs are required for communities, practicing child marriage.
 Lack of awareness of contraception among teens, especially during first sexual
intercourse, increases the chances of unintended pregnancies. So there is
strong need for contraceptive counseling in order to prevent repeated
pregnancies. Clinics, private medical offices, or NGOs can play a major role in
providing counseling.
 Limited education can be both a cause and an effect of child motherhood. Girls
who are not attending school are more likely to become mothers at a
dangerously early age, and girls in school who marry young or become pregnant
usually leave school. So there is a need to develop strategies to help more girls
go to school and stay in school, and to encourage families and communities to
value the education of girls.
 Life skill education and vocational training programs for girls to empower
them.
 Health services to the special needs of newly married girls and young first-time
mothers. need health services that are designed to meet
THANKS