Abstract
Teen pregnancy is very critical and a big problem affecting the United States. The paper will address the background of the issue; include a problem statement as well as literature review explains the prevalence of teen pregnancy. The paper will look at the scope and impact of the problem and discuss the interventions and controls that can be taken to reduce the rates of teen pregnancy. It presents the challenges that are associated with teen pregnancy as well as the individual and environment impacts. The paper illustrates that; the implementation of the programs will instill a sense of knowledge and create awareness that will ensure that the teen becomes responsible.
Background
About a third of female teens become pregnant in the United States. This has placed the United States as leading in the world when it is compared with other developed countries. The teen pregnancy comes with a lot of effects to the government and the society at large. For instance, “the total annual government expenditures on public aid to teen-mothers in 2006 were $11.3 billion” (Patel & Bisakha, 2012). Each year, more than 700,000 teens aged 15-19 years will be exposed to teenage pregnancies in the United States. Between 1990 and 2005, there was a decrease of rates of teen pregnancies but thereafter, the rates increased by 5% between 2005 and 2007. Recent statistics indicates that the rates are going low again because of the awareness that is created through sex education amongst the youth. The major problems that are associated with the problem is poverty and high levels of school dropouts. The rate of teen pregnancies in the U.S has always been high and first in developed countries.
Problem statement
Arkansas is the fifth highest state in high levels of teen pregnancy. More than 25% of the teenagers will give birth to the 2nd or 3rd child. The Department of Human Services (DHS) helps more than 80% of the unmarried teen mothers in material support. The help include provision of housing facilities, food stamps, Medicare and childcare. Many well educated people remain on welfare following years of post-secondary education. The reasons may be plentiful and include lack of gainful employment, lack of knowledge of job search methods and finally may include dependence on the welfare system. Programs should be developed to mentor and assist young mother on achieving a higher education and assist persons with post-secondary education and with finding gainful employment.
Literature review
Teen pregnancy has developed into a bigger problem in the United States. It ranks the first in the world where Bulgaria trails as the second. The Arkansas Department of Health places the state as the fifth in the United States. In the recent past, there have been numerous efforts to reduce the high rates as well as curb the disaster of teen pregnancy. Despite the measures that have been taken, the birth rate of teen still remains 50% higher when compared with the United States rate. This rate is troubling, and gives sleepless nights to the policy makers and other authorities. It is very difficult for a teen to become a mother and this has led to abortion and miscarriages. The inability of the teenagers to sustain the pregnancies made most of them depend fully to welfare systems (Tamera & Turner, 2004).
The nightmare is when a teenager becomes a parent since this is challenging (Porter & Holness, 2011). Unplanned pregnancies place the teens in a complex life and it really affects their lives. Teen pregnancy will always be associated with physical, mental, social and emotional health that damages the wellbeing of individuals. In addition, the young people will be required to be responsible since parenthood is very demanding. It is very unfortunate that a teen pregnancy increases the rates of school dropouts as the pregnant girls cannot complete high school education. Teen pregnancy brings a burden to the family since the young aged girls are not stable financially and still lives under the umbrella of their parents. The future of the affected will also be doomed since dropping from school eliminates any chances of securing a highly paying job in the future (Kandakai, Leonie & Smith, 2007).
The mothers and their children experiences tough economic outcomes due to teen pregnancy. The most affected sectors include education and the health of the pregnant girls. The chances of a pregnant teen to complete high school are very minimal and are left in balance. There are those who are still focused to complete high school but they are subjected to a low self-esteem that leads to poor performance (Porter & Holness 2011). The inability to academic achieve good grades is a challenge as they cannot join the high institutions of learning in the near future. Research has also shown that the children who are born to the teen mothers have a high probability to develop into teen mothers too. A research conducted by National Longitudinal Survey of Youth shows that more than 66% of daughters from teen mothers have a likelihood of getting pregnant on their earlier age (Ellis et.al, 2003). In the event where the teen mothers remains single and unmarried, it is more evident that she and her children will be subjected to poverty in the remaining part of their lives (Ellis et al, 2003)
Teen pregnancy hinders a bright future to the teen mother. Dropping out of school spells ma doomed life that is surrounded by higher levels of poverty. This means that the teen mothers will not be in a position to access quality healthcare, proper housing, well-paying jobs and social support (Magness, 2004). The maternal age determines the success of a family as its good for an individual to get educated first before engaging into early premarital sex which results to teenage pregnancy. Teen pregnancy mostly affects the age brackets between 15-17 years. In 2006, the non-Hispanic blacks birth rate stood three times higher (36.7 per 1000) compared to Hispanics birthrate which was four times higher (47.8 per 1000) of the non-Hispanic whites ( 11.9 per 1000). The decline of teen pregnancies is as a result of increased awareness through education, the utilization of available contraceptives and abstaining from sexual intercourse. The availability of the opportunities that lies in the labor market has also reduced the rate of teenage pregnancies amongst the Africa America teens.
Teen pregnancies are associated with a lot of negative consequences to both the mother and the child. There are higher chances to give birth to a low-weight infant which is very unhealthy. The development of acute infections may also lead to neonates’ deaths, maternal deaths and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (Kandakai, Leonie & Smith, 2007). Others risks that are associated with teenage pregnancies includes premature births, miscarriages, Pregnancy Induced Hypertension, anemia and Sexually Infected Diseases (STDs). Teenage pregnancies have the following social issues that make it more complicated and unwelcoming to many. The social issues include: high poverty levels, low educational levels and drug and substance abuse.
Recent studies indicate that the teen mothers are 500 times more at a risk of getting another pregnancy before approaching 20. Statistics shows that any girl who gives birth before her eighteenth birthday will give birth the next 24 months. Researchers give a recommendation to allow more than a 2 year gap in between pregnancies so that teen can meet their goals and ambitions therefore reducing the high poverty levels (Woodward et al, 2003).
The findings that were given by the urban African-American organization placed the teen mothers as individuals who are linked with a negative attitude as well as aggressive tendencies. There e she is danger when a girl allows to commit herself in marriage when at adolescent since it is likely that the marriage may not be durable and sustainable for long. The introduction of intervention programs both in schools, and homes have a common goal of ensuring that the teen mothers gets back to school to complete their education (Wilkins, 2012). They will have an opportunity to complete school and this will break them from the bondage of poverty linked with the teen mother as well as a lineage of future generations.
According to Hall et al, (2012), the sexual risk behaviors increase the rates of teenage pregnancy. The National Youth Risk Behavior provides data that reflects a reduction in the sexual risk behaviors in girls therefore reducing teen pregnancy rates by 2002. In 2003, studies indicate that they were a marked decrease of youth in use of contraceptives (Porter & Holness, 2011). Since they are sexually active at earlier age, the tendencies of teen ignorance in utilizing contraceptives have led to an increase in teen births. Other major factors promoting teenage pregnancies are engagement in unprotected sex and having more than a single partner. Depression and anxiety accompanies the teen mother’s throughout their life and takes away the life in themselves. This may develop into a health condition that will need intervention from professionals (Resnick et al, 2011).
The Department of Human Support has developed Youth Intervention Programs to assist the teens in dealing with teenage pregnancies. The intervention targets reducing outcomes of premarital sex among the youth (Patel & Bisakha, 2012). The prevention interventions help to eliminate the exposure risks that increase the rates of pregnancy and the unwanted behaviors. The future of the affected will also be doomed since dropping from school eliminates any chances of securing a highly paying job in the future.
Teen pregnancies will affect the following people; the mother, father, born child and the families of the parents. More complexities arise when the teen experiences a repeat birth. This means that getting back to school will remain an unsolved riddle in the rest of her life. High costs are associated with giving birth and raising the born child (Patel & Bisakha, 2012). When a teen gives birth, much financial burden affects the families that live in the dungeons of poverty. The lack of financial resources does not guarantee any success to the born child but spells a multifaceted problem.
Teen pregnancy greatly influences the level of education in the youth. This is because it leads to a high level of School dropouts which comes in multidimensional way. Despite these challenges, prevention and intervention programs m ay serve an important role in reducing the high rates of teen pregnancy (Basch, 2011). Programs implementation will instill a sense of knowledge and create awareness that will ensure that the teen becomes responsible. Unintended pregnancies will be eliminated if only teen practice more safe and protected sex if they cannot postpone the sexual acts. Sex education will also help the younger generation to escape the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and STIs that can lead to death (Bowers, 2013). The authorities must ensure that they fully support the programs that will help the teen mothers continue with their education so that there future may not be placed in jeopardy. If everybody becomes responsible, the teen pregnancies will be reduced to low levels and the society promotes the well-being of everyone at large (Magness, 2012).
References
Basch, C. E. (2011). Teen Pregnancy and the Achievement Gap Among Urban Minority Youth. American School Health Association, 81(10).
Bowers, R. (2013). Teen births decline -- What's behind the drop? Contraceptive Technology Update.
Ellis B, Bates J.E, Dodge K.A, Fergusson D.M, Horwood J, Pettit G.S, and Woodward J. (2003). Does Father Absence Place Daughters at Special Risk for Early Sexual Activity and Teenage Pregnancy? Child Development, May/June 2003, Volume 74, Number 3, Pages 801–821
Atkins D.N and Wilkins V.M (2013). Going Beyond Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic: The Effects of Teacher Representation on Teen Pregnancy Rates. Advance Access publication. doi:10.1093/jopart/mut001
Magness J. ( 2012). Adolescent Pregnancy: The Role of the Healthcare Provider. International Journal of Childbirth Education
Patel & Bisakha S. (2012).Teen Motherhood and Long-Term Health Consequences. Maternal Child Health J 16:1063–1071 DOI 10.1007/s10995-011-0829-2
Porter, L. S., & Holness N.A. (2011). The Repeat Teen Pregnancy Cycle:How Nurses Can Nurture Resilience in At-Risk Teens. Nursing For Women's Health.
Sieving, R. E., Garwick, A. W., Bearinger, L. H., Beckman, K. J., Oliphant, J. A., Plowman, S., Rush, K. R., &Resnick, M. D. (2011). A Clinic-Based, Youth Development Approach to Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Teen Pregnancy Prevention, 35(3).
Kathrin F. & Hall D.W., (2011).Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S. Public Library of Science.
Young T., Turner J., Denny G, Young M., (2004) Examining External and Internal Poverty as Antecedents of Teen Pregnancy. Am J Health Behav. 2004; 28(4):361-373
Kandakai T.L, Leonie C.R., (2007). Renormalizing a Historical Problem; Teen Pregnancy, Policy, and Public Health Action. Am J Health Behav. 2007; 31(2): 170-180
