A Comparison of the Risk Characteristics of Ever-Pregnant and Never-Pregnant SexuallyActive Adolescents

Abstract

Abstract This article describes the risk behaviors of a sample of sexually active, urban African American adolescent females, and examines the differences between adolescents who havebeen pregnant (ever-pregnant) and adolescents who have not been pregnant (never-pregnant). Of the 279 young women interviewed, 48% had a history of pregnancy. Logistic regression indicated that adolescents who had a history of pregnancy engaged in higher-risk behaviors than their non-pregnant peers. Adolescents who had been pregnant were more likely to have multiple sexual partners, more likely to have had sex under the influence of drugs, and more likely to have had an STD. These adolescents also were less likely to have used a condom during their last episode of sexual intercourse and less likely to use condoms every time they have sex. Our results suggest that a history of pregnancy is associated with higher-risk sexual behaviors. Moreover, for many young women, the experience of getting pregnant does not appear to decreas...