Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

EARLY PREGNANCY

As our society moves forward, a more comprehensive approach

to reducing adolescent pregnancy is needed. Many risk

behaviors, including early and unprotected intercourse, are

linked and share common motivation. Teen pregnancy is one

serious consequence of early initiation of sexual activity.

Other serious consequences include an increased likelihood of

late or no prenatal care, unattended births, reduced educational

attainment, and decreased employment opportunities. Infants

of teenage mothers are at greater risk of low birth weight and

increased infant mortality. Children of teenage mothers are

more likely to perform poorly in school, more likely to drop

out of school, and less likely to attend college. Socioeconomic

factors and limited life options, rather than ethnic or cultural

background, place many youth at higher risk for unintended

pregnancy. Early attempts at preventing teen pregnancies often

ignored the complex relationship between development,

environment, and behavior. Neither those programs that focus

on increasing knowledge, nor abstinence-only programs have been

effective in reducing the rate of unintended pregnancies.

Adolescent behaviors are shaped by the desire to broaden

horizons, interact with peers, or try out adult roles and

behaviors. If early sexual behavior is the only perceived option

to achieve these objectives, teens may well choose it.

MEDIA

A study conducted in 2006 found that adolescents who

were more exposed to sexuality in the media were also

more likely to engage in sexual activity themselves.

According to a 2004 study, one-third of teenage

pregnancies could be prevented by eliminating exposure to

abuse, violence, and family strife. The researchers note that

"family dysfunction has enduring and unfavorable health

consequences for women during the adolescent years, the

childbearing years, and beyond. " When the family environment

does not include adverse childhood experiences, becoming

pregnant as an adolescent does not appear to raise the

likelihood of long-term, negative psychosocial consequences.

Studies have also found that boys raised in homes with a

battered mother, or who experienced physical violence directly,

were significantly more likely to impregnate a girl. Women

exposed to abuse, domestic violence, and family strife in

childhood are more likely to become pregnant as teenagers, and

the risk of becoming pregnant as a teenager increases with

the number of adverse childhood experiences. Studies have

also found that girls whose fathers left the family early in

their lives had the highest rates of early sexual activity and

adolescent pregnancy. Girls whose fathers left them at a later

age had a lower rate of early sexual activity, and the lowest

rates are found in girls whose fathers were present

throughout their childhood. Low educational expectations

have been pinpointed as a risk factor. A girl is also more

likely to become a teenage parent if her mother or older

sister gave birth in her teens. A majority of respondents in

a 1988 Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies survey

attributed the occurrence of adolescent pregnancy to a

breakdown of communication between parents and child

and also to inadequate parental supervision.

ABUSE

Studies have indicated that adolescent girls are often in

abusive relationships at the time of their conceiving. They

have also reported that knowledge of their pregnancy has

often intensified violent and controlling behaviors on part of

their boyfriends.

From the website http//:www.answers.com/topic-

pregnancy#ix221A3UOCMEI

It says:

Women under age 18 eighteen are twice as likely to be

beaten by their child's father than women over age 18
eighteen. In a study of 379 three hundred seventy nine
pregnant or parenting teens and 95 ninety five teenage
girls without children, 62% sixty two percent of the girls
aged 11–15 eleven to fifteen years and 56% fifty six of girls
aged 16–19 sixteen to nineteen years reported experiencing
domestic violence at the hands of their partners. Moreover,
51% fifty one percent of the girls reported experiencing at
least one instance where their boyfriend attempted to
sabotage their efforts to use birth control.

Chapter 3
 Research Methodology

This chapter presents the methods and procedures used in

the study which includes the research design, sources of data,
population and sampling, data collection, data treatment and
analysis.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The descriptive research design was use by the researcher to

arrange the presentation, classification and interpretation of the
data gathered. This design aimed to reveal the problems
encountered by the teenage girls and the adjustment mechanisms
of the respondents

LOCALE AND POPULATION

The study was conducted in Brgy. Isidro and Brgy.

Balawarte, Agoo, La Union. The researchers selected the
household heads residing in this baranggay. Randomly, A total
of 30 respondents were selected. There were asked to
describe their present status in life.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The researcher used the self made questionnaire based on

the related literature. The questionnaire is composed of two parts.
The first part contains the demographic profile of the respondent
such as the age, educational attainment, religion, occupation, civil
status and member of children. The second part deals with the
problems encountered in terms of reason of early pregnancy, social
aspects and emotional aspects.

Gathering Procedure

First, the questionnaire was checked by the professor Dr.

Tangalin. Then a courtesy letter was sent to Honorable Sandra Y.
Eriguel. Municipal Mayor of Agoo, La Union asking permission to
conduct a survey regarding the Perceptions of teenage girls and
adjustment mechanisms of early pregnancy in a coastal
Barangay’s.
 Attached with the questionnaire was a letter to the
respondents stating the purpose, request of the participation of the
respondent to the study and the procedure in answering the
questionnaire.

The survey was conducted on the Barangay San Isidro and

Balwarte for the face validity of the questionnaire.

Collection of the data in the pretest was performed by the

researcher. The researchers administered the questionnaires prior
to the answering to the tool; the instruction was clearly explain by
the researcher. Afterward the researchers tallied the result and
computed the data using the formula in the treatment of data.

Data Treatment

To determine the demographic characteristics of the

respondents, frequency counts, and percentages were used. There
where then used to qualify and quantify the data on this portion.

To determine the reactions to issues on early marriage,

problem within laws, problems in social life and problem in
economic life, weighted mean were used. The weighted mean
average represents the average of the respondents on each item.

Foe this purpose, Likert Scale was devised with the following
values presented below: The different values and statistical limits
which were arbitrarily estimated were used.

Numerical values Statistical limits Descriptive

5 4.30-5.00 Very great extent

4 3.50-4.20 Great extent

3 2.60-3.40 Moderate extent

2 1.90-2.60 Small extent

1 1.00-1.80 None at all