Family reaction, attitude and feelings towards pregnancy in adolescence

Abstract

This is a descriptive study aimed at identifying some aspects faced by a family when confronted with a pregnancy in adolescence. Data were collected in January and February 1997, from 20 adolescent mothers, living in the city of Doutor Camargo, Paraná. It was shown that a pregnancy in adolescence interferes with the family life because, most of the time, the adolescent keeps living with her family, and the baby’s expenses have to be incorporated into the family budget. Even thought only 50% of families say that your first reaction was to accept the situation, most of them say that the adolescent didn’t suffer any physical punishment, discrimination or privation. The authors reached the conclusion that the fact that families do not discuss issues related to sexuality should guide the actions of professionals concerned with the control of this health issue in our society.