We like to think of our society as progressive and capable of solving our social ills one problem at a time, but the fact of the matter is that, among industrialized nations, the U.S. leads the way in teen pregnancy. Currently, 4 out of every 10 girls in the U.S. will become pregnant by their 20th birthday.
What Causes Teen Pregnancy
Aside from the obvious answer of engaging in sex, the factors that contribute to a teen being at-risk for teenage pregnancy can become very complex. Some of the risk factors include:
* Living in poverty.
* Being the child of a single parent, or being the child of teen parents.
* Being reared in an abusive environment.
* Involvement in drug and alcohol use and abuse.
* Having low self-esteem.
* Poor performance in school.
* Being in multiple foster care homes.
* Ongoing family conflict.
* Lack of parental supervision.
Approaches to Intervention
There have basically been three strategies for bringing down the numbers associated with teen pregnancy since they reached an all-time high in the ‘90’s:
* Abstinence-only educational programs. The Institute of Medicine reports that of 13 studies done evaluating abstinence-only educational programs, none have had a positive......read more
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