African American Adolescents and Use of Prenatal Care Services

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between self-esteem among 30 African American adolescent females and their participation in a supportive prenatal care program designed specifically for this age group. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire conducted in two settings--the center or a participants home. Frequency and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents while correlational analysis was performed to examine the relationship between participation and self-esteem. Findings indicate no significant relationship between overall self-esteem construct and use of prenatal services by African American adolescents. The results of the correlational analyses conducted are instructive in which only 1 of 10 items approached a level of significance. This suggests that self-esteem may not be important in determining use of prenatal care among African American adolescents. Further research studies must be designed to involve the multiple factors found to be associated with African American adolescents use of the services particularly the influence of psychosociological sociodemographic and structural factors.