Teenage Pregnancy Research Articles

Association Between Changes in Racial Residential and School Segregation and Trends in Racial Health Disparities, 2000-2020: A Life Course Perspective.

Most studies of the relationship between racial segregation and racial health disparities have focused on residential segregation. School-based racial segregation is an additional form of segregation that may be associated with racial disparities in health. This study examines the relationship between both residential segregation and school segregation and racial health disparities among non-Hispanic Black compared to non-Hispanic White persons at the county level in the United States. It also examines the relationship between changes in residential and school segregation and subsequent trajectories in a variety of racial health disparities across the life course. Using the CDC WONDER Multiple Case of Death database, we derived an annual estimate of race-specific death rates and rate ratios for each county during the period 2000-2020. We then examined the relationship between baseline levels of residential and school segregation in 1991 as well as changes between 1991-2000 and the trajectories of the observed racial health disparities between 2000 and 2020. We used latent trajectory analysis to identify counties with similar patterns of residential and school segregation over time and to identify counties with similar trajectories in each racial health disparity. Outcomes included life expectancy, early mortality (prior to age 65), infant mortality, firearm homicide, total homicide, and teenage pregnancy rates. During the period 1991-2020, racial residential segregation remained essentially unchanged among the 1051 counties in our sample; however, racial school segregation increased during this period. Increases in school segregation from 1991 to 2000 were associated with higher racial disparities in each of the health outcomes during the period 2000-2020 and with less progress in reducing these disparities. This paper provides new evidence that school segregation is an independent predictor of racial health disparities and that reducing school segregation-even in the face of high residential segregation-could have a long-term impact on reducing racial health disparities. Furthermore, it suggests that the health consequences of residential segregation have not been eliminated from our society but are now being exacerbated by a new factor: school-based segregation. Throughout this paper, changes in school-based segregation not only show up as a consistent significant predictor of greater racial disparities throughout the life course, but at times, an even stronger predictor of health inequity than residential segregation.

The Psychological and Physical Effects of Sex Taboos

The objective of this investigation was to find the physical and psychological effects that sex taboos directly or indirectly cause in individuals. This investigation's importance is reflected in how sex taboos are such an integral part of everything, from culture, art, clothing, architecture, medical care, teachings, and language. Sex taboos are present in almost every person's life, and it is essential first to illustrate the effects they have on people to be able to take the first step into helping individuals and irradicating sex taboos. This investigation proves that sex taboos, or situations caused by the upholding of these norms, lead to anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, risky sexual behavior, higher HIV infection rates, higher teen pregnancy rates, incorrect sex ed, damaged parent-child relationships, emotional distress, mistreatment and misdiagnosis of malnutrition, prejudice, isolation, medical professionals perpetuating misinformation and myths, violent sexual behavior, and suicide.

PARENTING STYLES AS CORRELATES OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated parenting styles as a correlates of teenage pregnancy among adolescents in public secondary schools in Enugu State. Four research questions guided the study and four null hypotheses were tested at a .05 level of significance. The correlation research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 9,974 senior secondary school two (SS II) female adolescent students, in the 292 public secondary schools in Enugu State. A sample of 996 female adolescent students was drawn for the study through a multi-stage sampling technique. Structured questionnaires titled Parenting Styles Questionnaire (PSQ) and Teenage Pregnancy Questionnaire (TPQ) were used for data collection. The instrument was face and construct validated by three experts; while the construct validation was ascertained using the Varimax Rotation Method. Internal consistency coefficients of 0.89, 0.91, 0.90, and 0.86; 0.92, and 0.89; were obtained for PSQ and TPQ respectively, using Cronbach Alpha statistical method. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression statistics were utilized for data analysis. The p-value was used to determine the significant difference at a .05 level of significance for all hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that there was a low positive significant relationship between authoritative parenting style and teenage pregnancy. The result also showed that there was a high positive significant relationship between authoritarian parenting style and teenage pregnancy. It was equally found that there was a highly positive significant relationship between permissive parenting style and teenage pregnancy. Finally, the result indicated that there was a very high positive significant relationship between neglectful parenting style and teenage pregnancy. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others that the school management and parents should ensure that the home and school environment are well protected to shield the children from exposure to negative influences, by being concerned about the well-being of the girl child through education about sex, sexuality and the danger inherent. Social welfare agencies (public and private) should re-double their efforts in educating, counselling, and rehabilitation of victims of teenage pregnancy.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/lit/0758/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Mapping socio-geographical disparities in the occurrence of teenage maternity in Colombia using multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA)

BackgroundThe prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Colombia is higher than the worldwide average. The identification of socio-geographical disparities might help to prioritize public health interventions.AimTo describe variation in the probability of teenage maternity across geopolitical departments and socio-geographical intersectional strata in Colombia.MethodsA cross-sectional study based on live birth certificates in Colombia. Teenage maternity was defined as a woman giving birth aged 19 or younger. Multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA) was applied using multilevel Poisson and logistic regression. Two different approaches were used: (1) intersectional: using strata defined by the combination of health insurance, region, area of residency, and ethnicity as the second level (2) geographical: using geopolitical departments as the second level. Null, partial, and full models were obtained. General contextual effect (GCE) based on the variance partition coefficient (VPC) was considered as the measure of disparity. Proportional change in variance (PCV) was used to identify the contribution of each variable to the between-strata variation and to identify whether this variation, if any, was due to additive or interaction effects. Residuals were used to identify strata with potential higher-order interactions.ResultsThe prevalence of teenage mothers in Colombia was 18.30% (95% CI 18.20–18.40). The highest prevalence was observed in Vichada, 25.65% (95% CI: 23.71–27.78), and in the stratum containing mothers with Subsidized/Unaffiliated healthcare insurance, Mestizo, Rural area in the Caribbean region, 29.08% (95% CI 28.55–29.61). The VPC from the null model was 1.70% and 9.16% using the geographical and socio-geographical intersectional approaches, respectively. The higher PCV for the intersectional model was attributed to health insurance. Positive and negative interactions of effects were observed.ConclusionDisparities were observed between intersectional socio-geographical strata but not between geo-political departments. Our results indicate that if resources for prevention are limited, using an intersectional socio-geographical approach would be more effective than focusing on geopolitical departments especially when focusing resources on those groups which show the highest prevalence. MAIHDA could potentially be applied to many other health outcomes where resource decisions must be made.

Gender perspective on the determinants of health outcomes in selected Southern African countries

Recurring global health concerns such as the COVID-19 pandemic served as perfect examples of the "health is wealth" discussion and contributed to a growing understanding of the strong relationships between multiple risks to global socioeconomic success and poor health. Another development is the inclusion of gender-specific health goals in the SDGs which have highlighted the critical role of women’s health in attaining global health and ending the cycle of poverty. This study aims at examining factors influencing women's health in two Southern African countries namely South Africa and Eswatini affected by a significant burden of disease. The regression outcomes show that female economic participation, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), female education, teenage pregnancy, income and urbanization have varying effects on female health outcomes in both countries using gender specific socioeconomic factors within the framework of Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). This research engages policy makers and strategists in the health sector on the need to address gender disparities in formulating health policies. Moreover, policies and strategies aimed at fostering better health outcomes by solving national priority health challenges in particular the HIV/AIDS epidemic and health-risk behaviours should be prioritized.

Challenges and opportunities for improving access to adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health services and information in the coastal counties of Kenya: a qualitative study

BackgroundGlobally, adolescents and youth experience high unmet need for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services. In Kenya, evidence shows that more than half of teenage pregnancies are unintended and that half of all new HIV infections occur in people ages 15-24-year-olds, with the majority of those being female. The coastal counties in Kenya record a relatively high adolescent pregnancy rate and higher rates of unmet need for contraception for all women of reproductive age compared to the national average. This study focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the existing challenges to and opportunities for accessing SRH information and services among adolescents and youth (AY) at the Kenyan coast.MethodsUsing qualitative methods, this study conducted thirty-six focus group discussions with adolescents, youth, and community health volunteers across all the six coastal counties in Kenya. The sample included adolescents aged 10–14 years in school (male and female), adolescents aged 15–19 years not in education (male and female), youths aged 20–24 years (mix of both male and female), and community health volunteers who were conveniently sampled. Thematic analysis was used to examine the data and report the study results.ResultsThe barriers to accessing AYSRH identified in the study are individual factors (feelings of shame, lack of information, and fear of being judged) parental factors, healthcare worker and health institution factors, teacher/educators factors, and broader contextual factors such as culture, religion, poverty, and illiteracy. Factors that facilitate access to AYSRH information and services included, supportive parenting and culture, AYSRH sessions in schools, peer support, supportive health institutions, gender inclusivity, and digital technology.ConclusionsAYSRH information and services at the Kenyan coast is strongly influenced by a range of individual, social, cultural, and economic factors. Improving access to AYSHR necessitates meaningful AY engagement, provision of youth-friendly services, use of digital technology as alternative pathways for sharing SRH information, strengthening parent-AY relationships, embracing peer-to-peer support, and the adoption of gender-inclusive approaches in AYSRH programming.

The end point of it is abstinence: a qualitative analysis of underlying factors influencing Christian leaders’ adoption and implementation of sex and sexuality education in Bolgatanga, Ghana

Adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health challenges are of global public health concern and good quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education has an important role to play in addressing these negative sexual health outcomes. Yet in most Sub-Saharan African countries including Ghana, there is limited implementation of SRH education. Several environmental factors hinder the implementation of SRH education with the attitudes expressed by religious leaders having a major impact. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 Christian leaders in Bolgatanga, Ghana, to explore the factors influencing their decision to adopt and implement SRH education. Findings show that although Christian leaders were aware of (unsafe) sexual practices among adolescents, they held a conservative position on SRH education. While leaders were open to educating adolescents about sexual health, most held the opinion that SRH education for adolescents should be limited to abstinence-only and not acknowledge sexual activity or promote contraceptive use. Beliefs related to sexual morality, the perceived cause(s) of teenage pregnancy, and perceived responsibility for SRH education influenced Christian leaders’ thinking about SRH education. Implementing SRH education programmes to address young people’s sexual behaviour will require intervention programmes to change Christian leaders’ beliefs and attitudes towards SRH education.

Teenage pregnancy: focus on people with mental disorders.

Teenage pregnancy: focus on people with mental disorders.

Maternal and neonatal health outcomes for First Nations Australian women and children: A retrospective cohort study in a Western Sydney metropolitan tertiary referral centre.

To analyse key pregnancy and birth outcomes for First Nations women and children at a Western Sydney metropolitan tertiary referral centre. The birth and health-determining characteristics of 470 First Nations infants born at Nepean Hospital in 2018 and their mothers were included in a retrospective audit and compared with a contemporaneous control group of 470 infants and their mothers. Mothers of First Nations infants had significantly higher rates of socioeconomic disadvantage (P < 0.001), psychosocial vulnerability (P < 0.007), mental illness (P < 0.001), teenage pregnancy (P < 0.001), smoking (45.6% vs. 19.4%, P < 0.001) and drug and alcohol use than control mothers (P < 0.001, P < 0.048). First Nations peoples did not have increased rates of maternal morbidity, nor any difference in rates of Caesarean section, resuscitation at birth, NICU admission, preterm birth or low birth weight in multivariable analysis. However, multivariable analysis demonstrated significant associations between low birth weight and maternal smoking (P < 0.001), hypertension (P < 0.01) and drug use (P < 0.01). Despite challenges facing First Nations mothers and infants, our study found no significant difference in maternal morbidity nor adverse birth outcomes for First Nations infants. The study occurred in the context of culturally specific, First Nations-led antenatal and infant services. Future studies should further investigate relationships between participation in these services and health outcomes. This could identify strengths and areas for improvement in current services, with the goal of further improving outcomes for First Nations peoples through targeted health services that address their psychosocial vulnerabilities and support women to make healthy choices during pregnancy.

The sexual and reproductive health covariates of early menarche among adolescent girls.

Research suggests that girls who reach menarche at an early age are at greater risk for negative sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes than their later-maturing counterparts, but very little research has examined this issue in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in West Africa. The goal of the current study was to determine whether early menarche was associated with any SRH outcomes in a sample of Ghanaian girls. The study data were drawn from the baseline assessment of a longitudinal study involving two age cohorts (13-14 and 18-19 years) of 700 adolescent girls from Ghana. Logistic regressions were used to assess the association between early menarche (before age 13) and seven SRH outcomes (adolescent sexual activity, early sexual initiation, inconsistent condom use, transactional sex, sexual violence, multiple sexual partners, and adolescent pregnancy). Early menarche was significantly associated with adolescent sexual activity (odds ratio [OR] = 6.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1-19.7), and sexual violence (OR = 3.2; 95% CI 1.6-6.2) in the younger cohort and early sexual initiation (OR = 3.2; 95% CI 1.19-8.61) and multiple sexual partners (OR = 3.7; 95% CI 1.39-9.87) in the older cohort. Early menarche was also associated with transactional sex and teen pregnancy in the full sample. These findings suggest the need for special attention to the needs of early-maturing girls in SRH programming. Interventions are needed to delay adolescent sexual activity in girls with early menarche. Efforts to prevent sexual violence among adolescent girls in Ghana may benefit from targeting and addressing the specific needs of early-maturing girls.

Hubungan Paparan Media Sosial Terhadap Hubungan Seksual Pra Nikah Pada Remaja Di Kota Bontang

Backround : The sexual behavior of the teenager in many big cities in Indonesia is quite worrying. The development of information media is feared will increase sexual behavior distorted among adolescents, in other hand the role of family and the environment to education about religion adherence is expected as a bulwark against the emergence of teenage sexual behavior deviation. Premarital sex is at risk of various disorders in the reproductive system and maternal health conditions that are prone to causing complications such as teenage pregnancy and stunting Objective : To analyze the relationship exposure of social media with sexual relations among adolescents in Bontang city. Method : 105 respondents were taken randomly from 1045 students of junior high school and senior high school in Bontang. Among them 13 were excluded. Hypothesis test is done by using SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) grouping with Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach by evaluating outer model (outer model evaluation). Result : The parameter coefficient of the relationship between information media variables with sex correlation 0.263 with the value of T-statistic 0.154&gt; 1.64 at the level of significance ? = 0.1 (10%) which denote there is a significant influence between the conditions of exposure to information media with sexual relationship. Positive value means that the greater intensity of exposure to the social media information then the measure of sex relationship increases. Conclusion : There is a significant influence between exposure to media information on pre-marital sexual in Bontang adolecent .

112. Transcreating an Unintended Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Latino Teens Living in Rural Communities

112. Transcreating an Unintended Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Latino Teens Living in Rural Communities

Trends and factors associated with teenage pregnancy in Ethiopia: multivariate decomposition analysis

Teenage is a time of transition from childhood to adulthood. This stage is a time of change and needs particular care and ongoing support. Adolescent pregnancy remains a common health care problem in low- and middle-income countries, and it is associated with higher maternal and neonatal complications. Thus, this study aimed to determine the trends and factors associated with them that either positively or negatively contributed to the change in teenage pregnancy in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data from 2005 to 2016 were used for this study. A total weighted sample of 10,655 (3265 in 2005, 4009 in 2011, and 3381 in 2016) teenagers was included. Trends and the proportion of teenage pregnancies for each factor over time were explored. Then, a logit-based multivariate decomposition analysis for a non-linear response model was fitted to identify the factors that contributed to the change in teenage pregnancy. Statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05 and the analysis was carried out on weighted data. Teenage pregnancy declined significantly from 16.6% (95% CI: 15.4, 17.9) to 12.5% (95% CI: 11.4, 13.6) in the study period, with an annual reduction rate of 2.5%. About 49.8% of the decrease in teenage pregnancy was attributed to the change in the effect of the characteristics. The compositional change in primary educational status (41.8%), secondary or above educational status (24.55%), being from households with a rich wealth index (1.41%) were factors positively contributed to the decline in teenage pregnancy, whereas being from a Muslim religion (−12.5%) was the factor that negatively contributed to the reduction in teenage pregnancy. This study has shown that teenage pregnancy declined significantly; however, it is still unacceptably high. The changes in compositional factors of teenagers were responsible for the observed reduction in the prevalence of teen pregnancy rates in Ethiopia. Educational status, religion, and wealth index were found to be significant factors that contributed to the reduction in teenage pregnancy. Therefore, intervention programs targeting adolescents should address the socio-economic inequalities of these influential factors to reduce teenage pregnancy and related complications.

Stagnation of maternal mortality decline in Bangladesh between 2010 and 2016 in spite of an increase in health services utilisation: Examining data from three large cross-sectional surveys.

After a 40% reduction in maternal mortality ratio (MMR) during 2001-2010 in Bangladesh, the MMR level stagnated between 2010 and 2016 despite a steady increase in maternal health services use and improvements in overall socioeconomic status. We revisited the factors that contributed to MMR decline during 2001-2010 and examined the changes in these factors between 2010 and 2016 to explain the MMR stagnation in Bangladesh. We used data from the 2001, 2010, and 2016 Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Surveys, which sampled 566 115 households in total, to estimate the changes in the risk of dying of maternal causes associated with a pregnancy or birth between 2001-2010 and 2010-2016. We carried out Poisson regression analyses with random effects at the sub-district level to explore the relationship between the change in risk of maternal death from 2001 to 2016 and a range of demographic, socioeconomic, and health care factors. Between 2001 and 2016, the proportion of high-risk pregnancies decreased, except for teenage pregnancies. Meanwhile, there were notable improvements in socioeconomic status, access to health services, and the utilisation of maternal health services. A comparison of factors affecting the risk of maternal death between 2001-2010 and 2010-2016 indicated that first pregnancies continued to offer significant protection against maternal deaths. However, subsequent pregnancies among girls under 20 years became a significant risk factor during 2010-2016, increasing the risk of maternal deaths by nearly 3-fold. Among the key maternal health services, only skilled birth attendants (SBA) were identified as a key contributor to MMR reduction during 2001-2010. However, SBA is no longer significantly associated with reducing mortality risk during 2010-2016. Despite continued improvements in the overall socioeconomic status and access to maternal health services in Bangladesh, the stagnation of MMR decline between 2010 and 2016 is associated with multiple teenage pregnancies and the lack of capacity in health facilities to provide quality delivery services, as SBA has been primarily driven by facility delivery. The findings provide a strong rationale for targeting at-risk mothers and strengthening reproductive health services, including family planning, to further reduce maternal mortality in Bangladesh.

Determinants of Induced Abortion Intention among Adolescents Seeking Youth-Friendly Services in Homa Bay County, Kenya

Background: Approximately 6.4 million women die because of unsafe abortion in Africa. Abortion contributes to 35% of maternal deaths nationally, out of these adolescents account for 17%. Homa Bay County is among the 15 high-burden counties in the country, which accounts for 97% of maternal deaths. Interestingly, 23% of the deaths are as a result of teenage pregnancy. The study aimed to determine the induced abortion intention among adolescents seeking youth-friendly services in Homa Bay County.&#x0D; Methods And Material: A cross-sectional was implemented for the study from April to June 2020. Systematic random sampling was used to select 332 participants among 1652 adolescents in the study areas. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires. Univariate analysis, stepwise selection and multivariate logistic regression were employed to find determinants of induced abortion intention. The study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMU/COR: 509099) and NACOSTI offered a research permit NACOSTI/P/20/4496.&#x0D; Results: The study revealed a significant association between induced abortion intention and being multiparous (OR: 0.064; 95% CI: 0.005-0.918: p= 0.028). The current study found a strong association between adolescents' belief that their physical health reduces the likelihood of pregnancy from unprotected sex. Respondents who had a low perception of physical health were susceptible and had higher odds of having induced abortion intention. Similarly, the respondents who agreed that they do not talk to their partners about pregnancy were thrice as likely to have had induced abortion intention (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.7- 6.1: p= 0.0002). In addition, those who believed that if they continued with the pregnancy their academic career would be endangered were 4.3 times as likely to have had induced abortion intention (OR: 4.3: 95% CI: 2.2 – 8.1; p &lt; 0.0001).&#x0D; Conclusion: In this study, induced abortion intention was significant among adolescents who had a misinformed perception of their physical health and chances of getting pregnant even if they practised unprotected sex, lacked disclosure to partners and were urged not to discontinue their career and profession. Governments should embrace and operationalize multisectoral and pre-counselling approaches coupled with comprehensive sexual reproductive health education in and out of school in Adolescents programs. Similarly, Adolescent' programs should scale up male involvement.

“Well, That’s What She Gets…”: Black Teenage Girls’ Sexual and Reproductive Choice in Young Adult Literature

Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) this article explores the discourse around Black girl sexuality, teenage pregnancy, and teenage motherhood as depicted within Black authored young adult literature.

‘Supervising children to be good people’: Parents and children's views of child supervision in Laos

AbstractResearchers have paid little attention to child supervision in Laos, an ethnically‐diverse country with a community‐informal child protection system, and where many young children are regularly home alone or with another child. To explore what constitutes (in)adequate child supervision and its perceived effects, we conducted individual interviews with community leaders and professionals (n = 23) and focus group discussions with parents/adult caregivers (n = 74) and 12–17 year‐old children (n = 51) in six rural villages in Saravane and Borikhamxay provinces. Adults and children in both provinces described similar understandings and support systems of child supervision. Mothers are the main caregivers of young children, and literate fathers contribute to supervising school‐age children. Grandparents, older siblings and other relatives, teachers, and village authorities contribute substantively to child supervision. The main aims of supervision are child safety, socialization and moral development in cultural context. Parental unavailability due to employment, farming and migration; limited infrastructure; and lack of material resources are the main barriers to adequate supervision and may result in injuries, school dropout, teenage pregnancy and illicit drug use. Understanding the determinants, consequences, and patterns of child supervision across cultural and socio‐economic groups is needed to inform culturally acceptable strategies to support children and families.

Contributions of School-Based Ecological Transformative Social Change Strategies to the Management of Teenage Pregnancies in Mombasa County

The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of school-based ecological transformative social change strategies to the management of teenage pregnancy with reference to Mombasa County, Kenya. The study focused on seven public girls' secondary schools in Mombasa County, targeting Form 3 students, principals, guidance and counseling teachers, religious leaders, and government officials. Using a sample size formula, 402 participants were selected, considering attrition. Simple random and purposive sampling were employed. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and Focus Group Discussions, analyzed using SPSS for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The findings were presented through tables and figures, drawing conclusions from the results. The study aimed to understand and address factors influencing teenage pregnancy in Mombasa County. The findings show that the issue of teen pregnancy is of great concern in the county of Mombasa. This is evidenced by the high rate of school dropout among girls who got pregnant, early motherhood, transmission of venereal diseases, cases of abortion and death after abortion in some cases. Pearson correlation shows that school-based interventions (r=0.063, p&gt;.05) did not have significant effects on the management of teenage pregnancy. Consequently, there is need to put measures in place aimed at checking teenage pregnancies and their associated consequences such as abortions, girls dropping out of school as well as early marriages among others.

‘I don’t feel like a young dad. I feel like an unprepared dad’: young parenthood, welfare support and accelerated transitions to adulthood in the UK and Sweden

ABSTRACT Young parents (defined as entering parenthood aged 25 and under) are often considered to be a homogenous population, yet this encompasses a broad age range. This article develops a critical analysis of ‘young’ parenthood based on empirical evidence from young parents themselves. Data is drawn from two connected qualitative longitudinal research studies about young parenthood spanning 8 years, focusing predominately on the UK, but also including empirical evidence from Sweden. The sample comprised young parents aged 18–25, a sub-group of ‘young’ parents that are often overlooked in policy and existing research about teenage pregnancy. The focus on young parents aged 18–25 troubles and deepens existing conceptualisations of ‘youth’ and of normative transitions to adulthood. The findings show that young parents conceptualised the timing of their entry into parenthood in relation to preparedness and the resources available to them within a context of elongated youth transitions. To this end, UK social policy would benefit from deprioritising youth policies constructed around young parenthood prevention as they serve to stigmatise and entrench socio-disadvantage. Instead, welfare systems have an important role to play in supporting young parents’ preparedness, to help them and their children to flourish.

Exploring perceptions of gender roles amongst sexually active adolescents in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Traditional gender and social norms reinforce asymmetrical power relations, increase the risk of experiencing gender-based violence and mediate poor engagement with sexual and reproductive health services. This study explored gender norms and expectations amongst cisgender adolescents in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A purposive sample of 29 adolescents aged 16-19 years old were enrolled as part of a longitudinal qualitative study. The current analysis reports on the first round of in-depth interviews, which focused on the role of men and women in their community. A theoretically informed thematic analysis identified three broad themes: 1) Adolescent interpretation and understanding of gender identity, 2) Gendered essentialism and Gender roles (two sub-themes: Young men: Power through providing, and Young women: The domestication process which highlighted that gender roles were defined by being the provider for men, and the successful fulfilment of traditional domestic behaviours amongst women), 3) Gender and fertility highlighted how participants highly valued fertility as affirming of manhood/womanhood. These norms reinforce gender roles that maintain asymmetrical power relations, carrying them over into adulthood. The subtle social pressure to prove fertility could have unintended consequences for driving teenage pregnancy. Structural, gender-based interventions emphasising positive gender-role development in early childhood are needed.