Teenage pregnancy: its psychological repercussions

Teenage pregnancy can lead to very harmful and risky situations.

Bringing a life into the world is for many people one of the most beautiful experiences of their lives. Now, this is true for those who have wanted to have a child and are ready for it, people who have matured and planned the conception of a son or daughter.

Other people find themselves in a situation where they become pregnant by accident, or although they want to have children in the future, they are not yet ready for it. This is the case of teenage pregnancies, which can have major repercussions.which can have great repercussions for the person who becomes pregnant. It is about this state that we are going to speak throughout this article.

The pregnancy in the adolescence

We consider a pregnancy to be adolescent when it occurs between 10 and 19 years of chronological age, regardless of the physical development level of the adolescent in question.regardless of the level of physical development of the adolescent in question. This vital stage is in itself a time of great changes at all levels: the body grows and changes from child to adult, our mind and cognitive abilities are developing more and more. However, emotional and mental maturity usually take much longer to develop.

The adolescent is in a process of searching for identity, of knowing who he/she is and what he/she is.to know who he or she is and what his or her role in the world is. Little by little they will face new demands and social experiences. Among them we find the first loves and relationships, and often also the first sexual relations. In fact, it is known that a high proportion of citizens started having sex before the age of fifteen.

However, in some cases, these first experiences are highly impulsive and do not go hand in hand with experimentation that takes into account the risks of their actions, which in terms of sex can lead to early pregnancy. This happens all over the world, although it is more visible in developing countries or countries with a low level of education.

Pregnancy is the biological process through which an egg fertilized by a sperm develops and grows in the uterus. develops and grows in the mother's uterus for approximately nine months until the until the moment of delivery. This process triggers a series of physical, organic and even psychological and behavioral changes in the mother, aimed at favoring this growth and the subsequent arrival of the new child into the world.

It is also a risky process, since it implies a strong investment of resources on the part of the maternal organism, and in a body still in formation this can have serious risks. Even if it is carried to term successfully, having a child also implies a high level of responsibility and capacity, to such an extent that an adolescent could hardly be able to sustain it without any help. an adolescent would hardly be able to sustain it without any help whatsoever..

Why at such a young age? Risk factors

The adolescent girl has a functional reproductive system capable of becoming pregnant, which means that if there is any type of sexual intercourse at this age there is a risk of becoming pregnant.

Although some adolescents do become pregnant in a conscious and planned manner most adolescent pregnancies occur in the context of an unintentional incident.The most common reason for unwanted pregnancies is either because no protection has been used or because the protection has been used ineffectively or has broken/failed. Thus, in most cases we are dealing with an unwanted pregnancy.

In this sense, although it is not feasible to find a single cause as to why they occur (since it is a multi-causal phenomenon), it is necessary to bear in mind that there are multiple risk factors that can influence the occurrence of adolescent pregnancy.

The first of these is the age of onset of first sexual relations. In this regard, it has been observed that adolescents with sexual initiation at twelve or thirteen years of age have a probability that can exceed 90% of becoming pregnant during adolescence.

Another risk factor closely linked to the previous one is the presence of a non-existent or poorly integrated sex education, in which sex is a taboo about which nothing is known or about which the risks and possible consequences are unknown. Likewise, the lack of knowledge of the existence or use of prophylactic methods, the low availability or high price of these methods or the underestimation of their importance is also a risk factor.

Other common risk factors are the educational and economic levelIt has been observed that there is a greater tendency to teenage pregnancies in populations with fewer resources and less access to education.

In addition, the consumption of alcohol and/or other psychoactive substances favors unprotected sex. Social exclusion, lack of life goals or hopes of improving one's own situation or suffering from some disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder also facilitate.

Another element to take into account is that exposure to a parental model in which children have been had as an adolescent also facilitates the replication of such a model, as well as cultural or religious beliefs in which the role of women is to give birth at a young age. Also the absence of family support, dysfunctional, dysfunctional, dysfunctional, dysfunctional, dysfunctional, dysfunctional, dysfunctionalThe absence of support from the family, dysfunctional family, neglect, abandonment or lack of affection are also risk factors. The same occurs if the woman is immersed in a context in which violence or contradiction regarding sex abounds.

Finally, it should be noted that some adolescents become pregnant after having suffered some type of sexual abuse or rape. In addition, in some cases, people who have suffered abuse or rape in childhood may have normalized sexual contact at an early age, and in these cases there is a higher risk of teenage pregnancy. Likewise, child marriages also tend to involve this type of pregnancy.

Biological consequences and complications of pregnancy at this stage

Regardless of how the pregnancy occurred, when it occurs during adolescence, the pregnant girl is in a situation considered high risk for both the baby and herself. is considered a high-risk situation both for the baby and for herself, since, although biologically, her body is not able to carry the baby to term.Although her body is biologically capable of conceiving, her physical development is not yet complete.

Among the different existing risks at the biological level we can find the possibility of suffering from anemia that can complicate the health of the mother and the fetus, the occurrence of miscarriages (whose probability is much higher than in an adult) or premature births or infections.

Likewise, and although it may vary depending on the health measures available in the locality in which one lives, a pregnancy before the age of fifteen doubles the risk of dying during childbirth in relation to adult women (in fact, it is one of the most common causes of death in adolescents). Postpartum bleeding and hemorrhage are more likely to occur..

They are also more likely to suffer from high Blood pressure, as well as a greater likelihood of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. In addition, the mother's own growth may stop or slow down in such a way that short stature and obesity may appear.

Babies born to adolescents are at greater risk of being born underweight and prematurely, and it has been observed that compared to those born to fully formed adults, these babies have a higher proportion of intellectual disability, malformations, developmental problems or neural tube defects, as well as a higher probability of dying before the first year of life due to sudden death. In addition, more likely to have minor infections..

Psychological and social repercussions

Becoming pregnant during adolescence also has major psychological and social repercussions. To begin with, an adolescent pregnancy is often met with a reaction from family, friends and social environment in general that can be very aversive for the young woman. The young woman may feel or even be truly rejected by her immediate environment and pressured to make a decision. pressured to make a decision.

They are also in a situation in which academic problems and school failure are more likely to appear, and it is more difficult for them to access higher education or attain jobs that require it. Their employment is usually more precarious and they tend to have worse economic and social conditions.

In addition, a decision must be made as to whether or not to a decision must be made as to whether to continue the pregnancy or to carry it to term, with both options having repercussions on the mother's health.Both options have repercussions on the psyche of the adolescent and a social effect on her environment. In many cases, adolescents do not feel qualified to be mothers, and there may be a rejection of the baby once it is born.

There is also a greater risk of falling into drug use and antisocial acts as well as depression, anxiety, uncertainty and problems of self-esteem and social adjustment.

In addition to this, the adolescent pregnant by another may encounter serious relationship problems or even be abandoned, since it has been shown that adolescents tend to see such pregnancy as a limitation to their future. In general, according to several studies a majority of adolescents in such a situation tend to choose abortion as an option..

Pregnancy prevention and prophylaxis

Pregnancy in adolescence is, as we have already said, a considerable risk for both the mother and the future baby. That is why it is necessary to establish different measures in order to prevent it from occurring, as well as to protect and prevent pregnant minors from suffering harm during pregnancy..

The first step towards this is the establishment of educational policies and plans that integrate sex education in the classroom from an early age, so that they can work on what sex is and the risks that unprotected sex can entail (not only pregnancy but also venereal diseases), as well as explaining what prophylactic measures exist and how to use them. Emphasize the importance of condom use.

It is important to make prophylaxis easily accessible to the entire population regardless of their economic capacity. Also The increase in services dedicated to family planning and care for pregnant women can be of great help, as well as the can be of great help, as well as facilities for obtaining oral contraceptives in case of need.

At the family level, it is also very important to work on the subject of sexuality, in such a way that the family allows the adolescent to express his or her fears and doubts, as well as to solve his or her doubts and questions. It is important that this environment be communicative and open.

Finally, it is relevant to treat in case of need those pregnant adolescents who present problems derived from their condition, such as depression and loss of self-esteem or lack of social support, both from the environment and from the institutions and various professions in the health and social branches.

Bibliographical references:

• Lohan, M., Cruise, S., O'halloran, P., Alderlice, F., Hyde, A. (2010). Adolescent men's attitudes in relation to pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review of the literature from 1980-2009. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 47: 327-345. [Online]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20864002.
• Mendoza Tascón, L.A.. Claros Benítez, D.I., Peñaranda Ospina, C.B. (2016). Early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy: state of the art. Revista Chilena Obstetricia y Ginecología, 81 (3): 243-253.
• Sobeida, M. and Blázquez Morales, L. (2012). Adolescent pregnancy. Revista Electrónica Medicina, Salud y Sociedad.