Browsing by Subject "adolescent pregnancy"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Adolescent Birth Mothers After Unintended Pregnancy and Infant Open Adoption
    (2009-12-08T19:11:56Z) Clutter, Lynn B.; Sims, Sharon L.
    Birth mothers of open adoption are not well studied. This inquiry explored birth mothers’ experiences surrounding unintended pregnancy and infant open adoption placement. The focused objective was to describe adolescent birth mothers’ lives following pregnancy and adoption placement. This qualitative study used naturalistic inquiry, with participants giving 1 to 2 hour tape recorded telephone interviews. Verbatim transcripts were de-identified and systematically analyzed. Birth mother samples were at either 1 to 5 years or 5 to 15 years after infant open adoption placement. Overall both samples chronicled stories from preconception through current life. Birth mothers of both samples were unanimous in their support of open adoption. The sample of 10 birth mothers who were interviewed 1 to 5 years postplacement shared life descriptions from prepregnancy; pregnancy with the decision for open adoption placement and choice of adoptive family; birth in context with the adoptive parents and birth child; postpartum and discharge. Postplacing birth mother findings were presented using the acronym AFRESH: A–adoption accomplishments; F–fresh start; R–relationships; E–emotions; S–support; H–healing. Personal, social, and relational benefits of open adoption far outweighed pregnancy, birth, and emotional challenges. Even though the process and outcome were “hard,” and included personal obstacles, the open adoption placement was “best.” Birth children were viewed as thriving, blossoming, and having a wonderful life. Adoptive families were cherished like those of extended family. Birth mothers thought health care providers should share the option, and then provide adoption friendly care. They also would advise pregnant teens to choose open adoption. Results from the 5 to 15 years postplacement sample of 5 birth mothers yielded themes of (1) satisfaction about decision for open adoption, choice of adoptive couple, and seeing a thriving birth child; (2) personal milestone accomplishments in education, finances, work, life, and relationships; (3) a sustaining sense of being a better person with an improved life; and (4) the essential need for support during and after the process.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Building a “Better Life”: The Transformative Effects of Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting
    (Sage, 2015-01) Cherry, Colleen O'Brien; Chumbler, Neale; Bute, Jennifer J.; Huff, Amber; Department of Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
    Adolescent pregnancy is often described as a major concern in public health and is associated with negative outcomes for educational and career attainment. Our objective was to compare the future aspirations of pregnant and parenting adolescents and identify social or structural barriers that they experience in their daily lives using journal entries from pregnant and parenting adolescents. The journals, which served as primary data sources, were completed by 52 multi-ethnic pregnant and parenting adolescents aged 15 to 19 in Indiana. Both pregnant and parenting adolescents aspired to provide a “better life” for their children that included finishing school and obtaining a career. An emergent theme is that the experience of pregnancy and parenting is transformative and may invoke a positive refocusing of life aspirations for educational and career attainment. However, social stigma and barriers exist that make achieving educational and employment opportunities difficult. The study findings indicate that pregnant and parenting adolescents need strong social support networks and practical tools to help harness their motivation and transcend social and material barriers to achieve their goals and aspirations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Implementation of a Journal Prototype for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents
    (2014-10) Bute, Jennifer J.; Comer, Karen; Lauten, Kathryn M.; Sanematsu, Helen; Moore, Courtney M.; Lynch, Dustin; Chumbler, Neale R.
    Teenage pregnancy and childbearing remain pressing public health issues that have garnered attention from public health officials and social services agencies. This paper reports on the initial implementation and formative evaluation of a journaling program used as a means of communicating health information to pregnant and parenting adolescents (young women age 15-19) while also providing participants with a means of self-expression. The journaling prototype was implemented in a community-based agency in the Midwest by Family Support Specialists (FSSs) who made home visits on a monthly basis to assist pregnant and parenting adolescents (n = 52) with successful family planning and public health education. A mixed method approach of qualitative (analysis of journals, field notes, and responses of semi-structured interviews with FSSs) and quantitative (questionnaires from pregnant and parenting adolescent respondents) data with purposive sampling was employed to evaluate the implementation of the journaling intervention. Twenty of the 52 study participants were pregnant when the journaling intervention was implemented, while 32 were not pregnant, but recently had a child and were currently parenting. Two core themes emerged from analysis of the data after the implementation of the journals: (1) usefulness of the journal and responsiveness to participants' information needs and (2) functionality challenges. The results offer practical starting points to tailor the implementation of journaling in other contexts. Further, areas for improvement emerged regarding the distribution timeline for the journal and the content of the journal itself. As such, we discuss the lessons learned through this collaborative project and suggest opportunities for future phases of the journal intervention.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Pregnancy Options Counseling for Pediatric Residents and Fellows: Effectiveness, Acceptability, and Appropriateness
    (2023-04-28) Bell, Lauren A; Kirkpatrick, Laura; Robbins, Cynthia
    BACKGROUND: Pediatricians are likely to encounter a pregnant adolescent in their lifetime of practice, yet many do not obtain clinical experience in pregnancy options counseling during residency. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and perceived acceptability and appropriateness of a 2-hour interactive training in pregnancy options counseling including role-play simulation. METHODS: Pediatric residents on their adolescent medicine rotation participated in a required training in options counseling for adolescents each month between July-December 2022. Pediatric fellows were invited to participate if desired. Participants completed anonymous surveys on Redcap before and after training. We utilized 4-option Likert-scale measures ranging from “1= not at all important” or “1= strongly disagree” to “4 = very important” or “4 = strongly agree” looking at knowledge and attitudes related to pregnancy options counseling. The post-training survey also included the Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) and Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM) which each utilize a mean of 4 different questions with 5-option Likert scale responses ranging from “1=completely disagree” to “5=completely agree.” This study was deemed exempt by the Indiana University Institutional Review Board. We used IBM SPSS (28.0) to perform descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon sign tests to analyze baseline and post-training data. RESULTS: 145 individuals completed the baseline survey. Of 33 participants who completed the training, 75% (n=25) filled out the post-participation survey. These were 3 pediatric fellows, 13 categorical pediatric residents, 8 combined pediatric residents, and 1 who did not disclose. Baseline demographics did not differ significantly between those who did or did not complete the post-test. Only 60% (n=15) of post-test completers correctly selected “parenting, adoption, abortion” as the three options to discuss during options counseling pre-training, but 92% (n=23) selected the correct answer after the training. Only 52% of participants (n=13) knew about judicial bypass requirements compared to 76% (n=19) post- training. Median AIM-Acceptability and IAM-Appropriateness scores post-intervention were high at 5.00 (IQR 1.00) and 4.75 (IQR 1.00). 85% (n=22) of participants endorsed the 2-hour training period as having “just the right amount of time. 81% (n=21) strongly agreed with the training’s value to their medical education. There were statistically significant improvements in attitudinal measures: participants’ perceived ability to discuss parenting (p<.001), adoption (p=.002), and abortion (p<.001); feeling knowledgeable about pregnancy-related resources (p<.001); and confidence making prenatal referrals for prenatal services (p<.001), abortion services (p=.002), and adoption services (p<.001). Participants rated some measures highly at baseline, with no significant change between pre-test and post-test: the importance of pregnancy options counseling training for pediatric residents, discussing all options as consistent with professional medical practice, and endorsement of referring to another colleague if they could not discuss all options. These measures all had a median of 4.00 and a mean of 3.88 on the pre-test. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric residents showed gains in knowledge in and confidence around pregnancy options counseling for adolescents after completing a 2-hour interactive training. This format of training was rated highly in value to medical education, acceptability, and appropriateness by participating pediatric residents.