Risk factors for adolescent pregnancy : how important is child sexual abuse?
Romans, Sarah E.
Risk factors for adolescent pregnancy : how important is child sexual abuse? Romans, Sarah E.; Martin, Judy; Morris, Eleanor M. - Wellington New Zealand Medical Association 1997 - New Zealand Medical Journal .
New Zealand Medical Journal 110(1037) February 1997 : 30-33
This article discusses a study that examined the relative importance of child sexual abuse as a risk factor for adolescent pregnancy. Data from the cross-sectional phase of an investigation of childhood sexual abuse in Dunedin women aged under 65 years in 1989, was used for this paper. The research consisted of a two phase methodology, which involved a postal survey as well as interviews, with a total of 477 women participating in the research. The results show that women who were pregnant before 19 came from families evaluated as having significant problems. This involved a number of preceding familial and psychosocial factors, such as living in a nonnuclear family or one in which frequent rows occurred between the parents, being physically punished after the age of 12, and not having a confidante as a child. Although those women who reported child sexual abuse were more likely to become pregnant before 19, it was found this variable was confounded by the above factors. Severity of sexual abuse was a better predictor of adolescent pregnancy. For women reporting non-genital child sexual abuse, the rate for pregnancy under the age of 19 was 9.6%; for those with genital child sexual abuse, 18.8%; and for those women reporting intercourse child sexual abuse, 31.3%. The authors caution that it would be unwise to extrapolate the results to samples with greater ethnic diversity given that recruitment for this study was from Dunedin city electoral rolls. It should also be noted that the methodology did not permit the study of how planned or wanted the pregnancies were. It was suggested that prevention of early pregnancy in New Zealand needs to focus on the adolescent's family.
nz
0028-8446
ADOLESCENTS
DEMOGRAPHICS
NEGLECT
PREGNANCY
RISK FACTORS
STATISTICS
YOUNG MOTHERS
YOUNG WOMEN
CHILD ABUSE
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
NEW ZEALAND
TRVF
Risk factors for adolescent pregnancy : how important is child sexual abuse? Romans, Sarah E.; Martin, Judy; Morris, Eleanor M. - Wellington New Zealand Medical Association 1997 - New Zealand Medical Journal .
New Zealand Medical Journal 110(1037) February 1997 : 30-33
This article discusses a study that examined the relative importance of child sexual abuse as a risk factor for adolescent pregnancy. Data from the cross-sectional phase of an investigation of childhood sexual abuse in Dunedin women aged under 65 years in 1989, was used for this paper. The research consisted of a two phase methodology, which involved a postal survey as well as interviews, with a total of 477 women participating in the research. The results show that women who were pregnant before 19 came from families evaluated as having significant problems. This involved a number of preceding familial and psychosocial factors, such as living in a nonnuclear family or one in which frequent rows occurred between the parents, being physically punished after the age of 12, and not having a confidante as a child. Although those women who reported child sexual abuse were more likely to become pregnant before 19, it was found this variable was confounded by the above factors. Severity of sexual abuse was a better predictor of adolescent pregnancy. For women reporting non-genital child sexual abuse, the rate for pregnancy under the age of 19 was 9.6%; for those with genital child sexual abuse, 18.8%; and for those women reporting intercourse child sexual abuse, 31.3%. The authors caution that it would be unwise to extrapolate the results to samples with greater ethnic diversity given that recruitment for this study was from Dunedin city electoral rolls. It should also be noted that the methodology did not permit the study of how planned or wanted the pregnancies were. It was suggested that prevention of early pregnancy in New Zealand needs to focus on the adolescent's family.
nz
0028-8446
ADOLESCENTS
DEMOGRAPHICS
NEGLECT
PREGNANCY
RISK FACTORS
STATISTICS
YOUNG MOTHERS
YOUNG WOMEN
CHILD ABUSE
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
NEW ZEALAND
TRVF