Young Men’s Perceptions of Teenage Pregnancy

Abstract

The purpose of the qualitative study was to understand the perceptions and experiences of young men who lived in a county of Texas regarding teenage pregnancy. Face-to-face audio-taped interviews were conducted with 20 young men between ages 18 and 21. Five major themes and one subtheme were uncovered from the interview: unplanned pregnancy/attitude to unprotected sex, being a father at an early age, wanting sex education in the school curriculum, advice for other young men, and desiring parent’s role in sex education. The sub-theme was early childhood education to start at home. The findings of this study demonstrate that young men, like young women, have concerns about teenage pregnancy, contraceptive use, sex education, parent roles, media, and peer influence on teenagers’ sexual decision making. Knowledge about men’s developmental stages could mean a better understanding of young men’s behavior, attitude, and perception about teenage pregnancy. Involving young men in pregnancy prevention programs could improve understanding of the social psychology of men’s development stages and perceive their sexual relationships.