Teens that Get Pregnant - Term Paper Example

Critical Review Essay Purpose The purpose of the study conducted by Young et. al. (2001) was to makea longitudinal assessment concerning teens that get pregnant and have children early on in life. The writers note several other studies which say how adolescent childbearing has negative effects on the parent, the child, and even society in general. Additionally, past studies conducted on the topic have focused on predisposing factors and they have frequently restricted themselves to correlation type studies. The study was therefore conducted for two purposes of which the first was to identify the underlying factors which precede teen pregnancy and the second was to address these factors in those programs which are designed to reduce adolescent childbearing. The study under question sought to look at the roots of adolescent childbearing using data which was acquired long before the pregnancy took place. In effect, the study had the purpose to explore the connection between internal poverty factors such as low educational or occupational aspirations, low personal efficacy, and an external locus of control and their connections with teen pregnancy. The writers make both the purpose of their study and the need for their study quite clear in the text as they make sure that the readers know what they intend to do while they undertake their research. They also tell the readers that pervious research had focused on different aspects of the relationship between teen pregnancies and the measures being studied by them therefore their study has intrinsic value for those who are interested in social measures and social policies. This shows that the study is important for those who can use it to develop the body of knowledge regarding teen pregnancies further and for those who wish to prevent them from happening in the first place. Background The authors give a significant theoretical background to what they are trying to test but they remind the readers that the study is heavily dependent upon Banduras self-efficacy theory which is defined as an individual’s beliefs in his/her own ability to get to particular goals. The self-efficacy theory has been noted to impact the coping mechanisms and behaviours shown by the individual since it focuses on three processes and categories of individual motivation. The writers note that efficacy-activating processes are composed of cognitive, motivational, and affective processes and a high level of Self-efficacy is believed to influence motivation positively. This affects causal attributions, expectations of outcomes, and even cognized goals. Thus the connection between teen pregnancies and self-efficacy theory is certainly one which has theoretical links that can be tested. Another construct which is tested in this study is the locus of control and that too is well explained by the researchers who tell us the difference between external and internal loci and how people with an external locus of control may fail to see connections between their behaviour choices and their quality of life. Finally, the writers provide a theoretical overview of the Life Options Model which shows how disadvantaged young people do not see themselves as having access to good options and have no ability to plan to the future. The theoretical link between the model and teen pregnancy is suggested by the writers by saying that since adolescent females do not view any doors as being open to them in terms of life options, they would not see teen pregnancy as closing any doors to them. These and other theoretical constructs used to make and carry out the study are well explained which makes understanding the research done by the authors quite easy. Hypothesis The study was to test three hypotheses made by the authors regarding teen pregnancies. The first hypothesis they made suggested that there would be a measureable difference between adolescent women who became pregnant and those who did not with regard to their locus of control. The writers believe that Females who later became pregnant would have an external locus of control as compared to the comparison group. The Second Hypothesis said that the level of personal efficacy would be different between adolescent females who later became pregnant and those who did not become pregnant since the girls who became pregnant are likely to have poorer personal efficacy. The third hypothesis in the study suggested that there would be a difference between women who became pregnant as teens and those who did not with regard to future expectations. The authors believe that those adolescent females who later became pregnant would see their life options to be limited and this limitation is indicated by their poor educational record or expectations regarding their careers when these expectations as compared to the group. All three hypotheses are very clear and explicit. They are even numbered out within the study in a separate section so readers and quickly understand the exact ideas which are to be tested within the research. Methods The authors clearly describe where their sample data is coming from since they started off with 25,000 U.S. eighth grade students across 1,000 schools in America. Since it is a longitudinal study, the students were re-examined across a period of time and it becomes easy to figure out the differences between those who became pregnant at a young age and those who did not. Since the data itself is collected by the government and government agencies, it would be easy to recreate the study once the data has been collected. The variables used by the authors include internal poverty which covered the individual’s locus of control, personal efficacy as well as expectations of the future. Internal poverty thus becomes an overall variable which looks at several different psychological measures in correlation to each other. Finally, the authors related the individual’s internal poverty with the chances of the person getting pregnant at a young age to see what affects internal poverty would have on the rates of teen pregnancy for the sample they had gathered through statistical analysis. Findings The findings were based on statistical analysis and the first result given by the research shows that there is a significant difference in terms of locus of control when it comes to the teen girls who got pregnant as compared to those who did not. Females who became pregnant had scored lower than those who did not. This lower score indicates an external locus of control. Additionally the Personal Efficacy results show a statistically significant difference in the two groups since Personal efficacy was lower in females who became pregnant as compared to those who did not. Interestingly, the teens that later became pregnant had lowered expectations with regard to education and completing high school but they did not have lowered expectations when it came to their careers. In fact, their career expectations also required college education to the same level as those women who did not become pregnant. However, the teens who later became pregnant were seen to have more traditional expectations when it came to their occupations in life. Conclusions of the Study The authors conclude that their study has valuable information which can help prevent teen pregnancy. They suggest that psychological measures such as locus of control and self-efficacy need to be addressed with young women so that teen pregnancy can be countered. This would require empowering children and their families which can be instrumental in reducing the levels of teen pregnancy. The authors recommend those in power to understand the impoverished sense of personal efficacy which is seen by pregnant teens so that they can create better programs which foster the internal locus of control as well as an ability of the teen to believe that they can achieve what they want to achieve. Evaluation The study comes across as a very important study with regard to the prevention of teen pregnancy since it gives positive statistical data and real information which can be used to help coming generations. In this manner the study could be quite useful for policy makers who need to use all available means to help the youth of the nation. The methods, the results and the conclusion are all linked to each other with direct explanations and visible connections that are easy to follow. However, the researchers do not give an exact method by which an increased internal locus, increased personal efficacy or reduced internal poverty level can be created in young females. Limitations Limitations to the study are noted by the authors as the data collected by them did not allow for the identification of those students who were pregnant at a time before the survey was conducted. Additionally, it does not account for those students who became pregnant but did not drop out of school due to the pregnancy or to give birth. In this manner, this data may not be all inclusive and may miss out on some girls who actually had been pregnant. The researchers also recognise that the efficacy factors determined by the NELS technical report were not a standard, or even a very good way to measure self-efficacy. In order to have examined the real predictive nature of self-efficacy as it had been defined by Bandura, a more standard scale with questions that truly assess self-efficacy would have to be used by the researchers. However, since no such self-efficacy test was included in the NELS survey, the researchers had to make do with whatever data that they had at their disposal. Direction for Future Research For future research, the writers suggest that the links between internal poverty and out-of-wedlock births as well as health risks connected to external poverty need to be studied. For the future, researchers should examine well-being disparities and see if they can be attributed to socioeconomic status and see what effect that has on an individual’s self-efficacy, locus of control, or other mediating psychological measures. This would allow researchers to make a connection between internal and external poverty and give means for society to control its social problems. Since the study and the topic itself impacts the basic social unit, i.e., the family, the future research on the topic should connect with the family as well as other social issues such as drug abuse, petty crime, and problems which are often evident in inner cities. The writers note that it is high time that we replace impoverishment with empowerment through enrichment programs. Therefore, they recommend that future studies should investigate the application and long-term effects of prevention as well as intervention programs that try to go beyond symptoms to hit the root of the problem. Overall, the study is very well conducted and is easy to read with a good level of referencing that gives more credibility and reliability for the research. The Bigger Picture In a wider context, the study has quite a few implications for researchers as well as those who are interested in the problems affecting society. The links which are shown to be quite true by the researchers also show us that there is more to the issue of teen pregnancy than external social factors that influence teens. By giving links to teen pregnancy with internal locus of control and personal efficacy of the person involved, it shows us that there may be psychological issues which predispose some teens to get involved with things that are likely to be damaging to them as well as society at large in the long run. Controlling these is only possible through psychological means which points towards the notion that programs which are being conducted today to encourage higher education and those which are being used to prevent teen pregnancies might need to be developed further keeping in mind the psychological aspects of the teens. Instead of just giving out condoms and birth control material, teen should be given psychological tools which increase their internal locus of control and allow them to be personally and internally enriched rather than let them languish with internal poverty. Word Count: 2,011 Works Cited Young, T. et. al. 2001, ‘Internal Poverty and Teen Pregnancy’, Adolescence, Vol. 36, No. 142, pp. 289-304. Read More