Graduation Date
1978
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Other
Program
Arts
Committee Chair Name
Dr. James Turner
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. James W. Carroll
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Jerrald Krause
Keywords
Arts
Subject Categories
Art
Abstract
Various solutions have been proposed for dealing with the problem of teenage pregnancies. These solutions include strengthening family life, raising moral standards and offering wholesome recreational facilities to adolescents (Marty, 1963). All of the solutions are directed at modifying the source of illegitimacy, that is, at reducing the frequency of non-marital sexual relations among teenagers. Programs attempting to do this by various means have met with a notable lack of success. Evidence indicates that there is and will be in the future a relatively high prevalence of premarital sexual relations (Kinsey, 1973; Reiss, 1966). It seems unlikely that existing programs are going to modify this trend significantly (Furstenberg, 1969). Thus, if the incidence of premarital pregnancy is to be reduced significantly, it will be by decreasing the rate of conception, not sexual intercourse (Davis, 1939). This, of course, means that birth control information and methods must be made more accessible to unmarried teenagers. Many fear that making birth control accessible to teenagers will promote promiscuity. Historically, America has taken a conservative, restrictive attitude toward sexuality outside of marriage (Reiss, 1960). The purpose of this study is to attempt to analyze the relationships of birth control knowledge, attitudes and practice among adolescents. The study will then examine the question of whether increased access to birth control information and methods is likely to increase or decrease the incidence of premarital pregnancy among unwed teenagers. To predict the effect that increased access to birth control information will have on adolescent premarital sexual activities, systematic data will be collected on males and females before and after a course in sex education. The data will then be compared with a sample group of pregnant adolescent females who did not take the course in sex education. : Although innumerable theories have been suggested in the past concerning the causes of adolescent pregnancy, the high incidence of illegitimate births among teenagers might be interpreted as an indication of misconceptions concerning the use of birth control due to lack of information (Cattell, 1954). Previous studies have often indicated that pregnancy is often an unanticipated and undesirable result of sexual relations (Vincent, 1961). According to Kantner and Zelnick (1973), many teenagers avoid contraception for moral reasons or because it may interfer with pleasure and spontaneity. If these viewpoints are correct, it may be anticipated that increased access to * effective methods of contraception and increased awareness of the consequences of the lack of use of contraception will significantly reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancies. "An important dimension to investigate is the degree to which various types of sex education programs, both in and out of school, affect out-of-wedlock pregnancy and long-term national population goals It has been indicated that such programs have resulted in considerable reduction in unwanted pregnancies, although some investigators have argued they have little influence. In any case, we feel that these questions have never been answered definitely." (Gordon, 1973:116) - The present study will attempt to answer some of these questions and will provide information for future research in this area.
Recommended Citation
Andre, Susan Warner, "A Survey of Birth Control Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Among Adolescents" (1978). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2394.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2394