Is repeat pregnancy in adolescents a "planned" affair?

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health care Vol. 10; no. 5; p. 409
• Main Authors: Matsuhashi, Y, Felice, M E, Shragg, P, Hollingsworth, D R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-09-1989
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; California; Child; Family Planning Services; Female; Humans; Parity; Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Adolescence - psychology; Prospective Studies; California; Comparative Studies; Decision Making; Americas; United States; Adolescent Pregnancy; Reproductive Behavior; California; Research Methodology; North America; Studies; Northern America; Developed Countries; Fertility; Pregnancy, Unplanned; Population; Behavior; Demographic Factors; Population Dynamics
• ISSN: 0197-0070
• DOI: 10.1016/0197-0070(89)90220-9

This study assessed whether girls who become pregnant more than once do so for different reasons than girls who are pregnant for the first time. Girls in group 1 (G1) were pregnant for the first time (n = 104, 69%) and those in group 2 (G2) were pregnant for the second time or more (n = 46, 31%). About 60% of the girls in G2 had living children at home, but they were more likely than those in G1 to state that they became pregnant because they wanted a baby (G2 44%, G1 21%; p less than 0.01) and, conversely, girls in G1 were more likely than those in G2 to state that the pregnancy was an accident and "just happened" (G1 61%, G2 37%; p less than 0.01). Many girls who become pregnant more than once appear to do so intentionally.