Paper Example on Teen Pregnancy

Introduction

Teen pregnancy is a global phenomenon that refers to premature pregnancy among the adolescent usually between the ages of 13 and 19 years. The teen pregnancies include the ones that end in live births as well as those that end in miscarriages or abortion (or any form of fetal loss). In the last quarter century, teen pregnancies have seriously declined by close to 60% (Boonstra, 2014). The decline is due to a combination of factors that include awareness campaigns, improved parental vigilance or care for the adolescents, and extensive, effective use of contraceptives. It is worth noting that close to 80% of teen pregnancies is unplanned, meaning that they occur too early in life or are unwanted (Boonstra, 2014). Majority of the pregnancies, which accounts for close to 65%, end up in live births (Boonstra, 2014). Unwanted or unplanned pregnancies are the leading cause of abortion among the teenagers who may not have the financial capacity or the general willingness to cater for the baby.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing have certain notable characteristics associated with family, individuals, and the community in which they stay. For instance, adolescents enrolled in schools and engrossed in learning (which include the ones that take part in co-curriculum activities, those that have a positive attitude towards education, and those that perform well) are less likely to father or have a baby (Goesling, Colman, Trenholm, Terzian & Moore, 2014). On the other hand, at the family level, adolescents who have mothers with only high school diplomas or mother who gave birth as teenagers have a higher inclination to give birth as teenagers as well. Closely related to hat is the fact that teenagers who live with both parents have lower probability of being pregnant when compared to the others. Finally, at the community level, the teenagers or adolescents who live in the suburbs or the wealthier neighborhoods are less likely to father or have a child when compared to those from low income or weak employment opportunities. It is imperative to note that teen pregnancy is a thorny issue that regions, schools, the medical community, and families. The teenagers do not have the required strong mentality to be mothers and manage the stress levels that come with such. The teenagers do not have the necessary skills to handle pregnancy or motherhood. Therefore, the teen mother and the baby are both susceptible to various risks.

My Take on Teenage Pregnancy

Parents, community members, educationists, government officers, and other stakeholders should take the necessary measure to curb teenage pregnancy due to the serious repercussions it has to the individuals, community, and the future of a nation. First, teen pregnancy comes with multiple complications (Charlton, Rosario, Roberts, Katz-Wise, Spiegelman & Austin, 2015). In most cases, the teens fail to seek the essential medical attention at the right time, which then leads to medical complications that range from moderate to severe. The medical complications that incessantly accompany teen pregnancy include but not limited to high blood pressure, toxemia, anemia, premature birth, and placenta previa. The stated complications will definitely affect the growth and development of the baby that include delays in motor and intellectual development.

Secondly, teenage pregnancy normally comes with deep worries about the future and untold levels of stress. As state earlier, the teenagers do not have the required knowledge or mentality to be a mother. In that regard, she will have a lot of fear and stress that will have negative effects on their future. The uncertainly about the future usually leads to rash behaviors such as suicide attempts and self-abortion that are detrimental. Closely related to this is delayed education or dropping out of school. Some teenagers may drop out of school to concentrate on parenting while other may opt for early marriage. Additionally, exhaustion is a major problem for the teenagers during pregnancy, which may impair their normal functionality.

Depression levels will rise during the weeks or even months after giving birth. The emotion imbalance may prove too much for the teenager to handle even though it subsides with time. Teen mothers are leading in cases of post partum depression and depression during pregnancy. Finally, possible neglect of the baby is normally rampant in cases of teen pregnancy. The teenagers may not have the ability or lack the willingness to give the needed care to the child since they lack the necessary tools to be a mother (Coyle, Basen-Engquist, Kirby, Parcel, Banspach, Collins & Harrist, 2016). The fact that the child takes up most of her time may prove frustrating to the young mothers who often want to play or socialize with their peer groups. Financial difficulties pose a serious threat to by the unemployed mothers.

Conclusion

As demonstrated, teen pregnancy is quite costly to the individual, community, and even the nation since it robs the young (mostly girls) of their futures. It is encouraging to note that the past decade has seen the decline of the number of pregnant teens, but a lot needs to be done to further eradicate the vice. All the stakeholders that include parents, educationists, and government need to intensify campaigns against teenage pregnancy to save the girls from unnecessary dropouts, depression, and medical complications.

References

Boonstra, H. D. (2014). What is behind the declines in teen pregnancy rates? Guttmacher Policy Review, 17(3), 15-21.

Charlton, B. M., Rosario, M., Roberts, A. L., Katz-Wise, S. L., Spiegelman, D., & Austin, S. B. (2015). 117. Teen Pregnancy Risk Factors Among Girls and Young Women of Diverse Sexual Orientations. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(2), pp 61-S62.

Coyle, K., Basen-Engquist, K., Kirby, D., Parcel, G., Banspach, S., Collins, J. & Harrist, R. (2016). Safer choices: reducing teen pregnancy, HIV, and STDs. Public health reports.

Goesling, B., Colman, S., Trenholm, C., Terzian, M., & Moore, K. (2014). Programs to reduce teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and associated sexual risk behaviors: a systematic review. Journal of Adolescent Health, 54(5), 499-507.