Paper
Friday, 21 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Using Evidence to Approach Child Healthcare Issues
Self-Esteem, Family Support, Peer Support, and Depressive Symptomatology: A Correlational Study of Pregnant Adolescents
Janice G. Harris, PhD, MSN, RNC, Nursing Department, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA, USA
Learning Objective #1: describe three factors regarding the relationship between self-esteem, family and peer support, and depressive symptomatology when assessing the pregnant adolescent.
Learning Objective #2: identify two conclusions from this research that indicate the importance for future research with this vulnerable population.
     Adolescent pregnancy continues to be a major concern today despite the decline in births among adolescents.  Research into the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy has come from diverse disciplines.  Although there is a growing body of research in the area of adolescent pregnancy and parenting, relatively little research has addressed the psychological effects of pregnancy on the adolescent.  The purpose of this study was to examine levels of depressive symptomatology, self-esteem, perceived social support from family and friends, and the relationship between these variables in the pregnant adolescent.  A second purpose of the study was to describe characteristics of the pregnant adolescent (age, race or ethnicity, and educational level).  The theoretical framework for this study was derived from The Conceptual Model of Support during Adolescent Pregnancy. Ninety pregnant teens were recruited from two school programs for pregnant adolescents and a physician's office.  The teens ranged in age from 13 to 18 with a mean age of 16.  The teens completed a demographic form and 4 questionnaires: the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Perceived Social Support from Family Scale, and the Perceived Social Support from Friends Scale.  Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation and stepwise regression were used to analyze the data.  Thirteen of the participants (14%) exceeded the cutoff score of 77 on the depression scale.  Increased depressive symptomatology was strongly correlated with decreased self-esteem and perceived lack of support from family.  The findings provide important direction for identifying pregnant teens at risk for poor psychological well-being.  Targeting these teens during the prenatal period for early intervention will improve pregnancy outcomes for the teen and her infant.

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