Considerações Sobre a Gestação e a Maternidade na Adolescência

Abstract

This paper is a brief non-systematic review of the literature on adolescent pregnancy and motherhood. The objective was to make an extended reflection on the subject of adolescent pregnancy and motherhood, beyond the biomedical perspective, which deals with the phenomenon only as a public health problem. It was found that most studies described the presence of problems and unhealthy aspects of these experiences in the life of an adolescent and her baby. However, other studies have revealed positive aspects. Two factors that affect, significantly, on how the pregnancy and motherhood in this period of life are perceived are the socio-economic and cultural contexts. Some studies show that adolescents who experience socio-economic or emotional difficulties may perceive pregnancy and motherhood as a viable life project that gives them social recognition. Thus, contextual factors should be considered when developing intervention programs for this population.