212490 Resource 190283 190808 190808 1220930307867 1221579101254 Controlled Teen Pregnancy: Below the Surface

The connection between sexual abuse and promiscuity

Most public discussion about teen pregnancy centers on how to approach sex education in schools. Should it be abstinence only, or comprehensive; and should it include the distribution of contraceptives? The debate unfortunately ignores a vital but significant factor that underlies more of the problem than may be apparent at first glance: teen pregnancy isn’t always the result of poor access to contraceptives or of simple promiscuity. Too often the problem can be traced to the failure of society’s adults to take responsibility for the safety of its children.In a 1999 study published in the journal Adolescence, researchers Nance D. Kellogg, Thomas J. Hoffman and Elizabeth R. Taylor examined the connection between childhood sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy among a diverse group of teen mothers enrolled in a school-age parenting program in Texas. More than half of the girls had experienced an unwanted sexual experience prior to their first pregnancy. For 13 percent of the abused teens, the pregnancy was a direct result of the violation. But there were also indirect results among the rest. The researchers found that the earlier an unwanted experience occurred, the earlier the teen sought an intentional experience. Some responded to the misuse by running away, or trying to obliterate the experience through self-medicating with alcohol or drugs. All of these high-risk behaviors increase the likelihood that girls may end up exploited and pregnant.Girls in the study who had been sexually abused often suffered physical violence as well. Other family dysfunctions such as alcohol and drug abuse often (but not always) coexisted with the sexual abuse. Worse, a large number of the girls (60%) went to adults for help, but only half of these adults intervened.From the point of view of the researchers, “the results suggest that preventive efforts should be initiated within the family, targeting systemic functioning, drug and alcohol problems, and violent behaviors.” 10 application/xml false child abuse child development child safety family relationships teen pregnancy Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; InfoPath.1) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 gstepp 66.125.198.98 false true false false true 191587 false false true false false false true 217418 Resource 191587 173239 190808 1225453051515 1233856386837 Controlled Positive adult influence among teenagers

Our display tables in town centres work well

I thought you may be interested to see what we are achieving in the UK. A very positive impact to reduce under age sex, pregnancy and abortion. See <a href="http://www.created4life.org">www.created4life.org</a><a href="mailto:Alan@created4life.org">Alan@created4life.org</a> 10 application/xml false Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; InfoPath.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 88.111.217.176 false true false false true 190283 blog blogsite/FamilyMatters/web