| Abstract: | 25 primiparous adolescents 13-18 years of age who actively desired or wanted pregnancy were compared with those who did not actively desire pregnancy to determine factors which contribute to wanting the pregnancy. Factors included peer expectations, marital status, fertility awareness, contraceptive use, and affective status. Positive status associated with marriage, especially among adolescents who conceived while single but subsequently married, was an important difference between desired and undesired pregnancies. Social expectations among peers seemed to reflect the greatest difference between desired and undesired pregnancy. The teens desiring pregnancy had a more positive peer expectation of being treated better after delivery. Nonutilization of birth control and surprise at conception was the same for desired and nondesired pregnancy although the majority of both groups knew where to obtain contraception. |
