The Issue of Teenage Pregnancy

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Adolescent pregnancy has been and will continue to be an issue. Teenagers who engage in premarital sex tend to do it irresponsibly and unprotected. This puts them in danger of sexually transmitted diseases and at risk for becoming pregnant. Many times adolescents don't realize the grave responsibilities that come with becoming a teenage parent. A variety of educational programs that educate adolescents on pregnancy prevention have been developed to allow students the opportunity to experience those responsibilities and burden that caring for an infant entails. The Baby Think It Over infant simulator is a realistic approach to early motherhood by providing students an interactive experience. This simulator is designed to show adolescents the impact an infant has on their emotional, personal, and academic lives. Previous research has portrayed various results in the BTIOs use and its effectiveness in changing teenager’s views and perceptions of early pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Baby Think it Over infant simulator and its involvement in the adolescents’ plans to delay pregnancy. Does adolescent participation in the “Baby Think It Over” program postpone adolescents’ plans for early pregnancy?
Demographics
In Barnett and Hurst (2004) study females in both 8th and 10th grades were found to have average scores than males and over 8th graders scored higher than 10th grade students. Males were more likely to let their infant cry and there was a larger variation in response times than with females. Males were also more likely to handle the infant simulators roughly. 10th graders showed more variability in their care than 8th graders as well as 8th graders were more lik...

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...higher score toward more realistic expectations) of the expectations of being a parent. More than 50% of the participants mentioned the rigor demands of parents and the additional responsibilities that are needed as a parent. Unfortunately this study used convenience sampling, was predominantly female, and had a small sample size.
Overall Evaluation of Baby Think It Over Infant Simulator
Results of the BTIO intervention vary in regards to changing adolescents perceptions of young pregnancies and postponing their plans to become parents. When using the simulator research has stated that students understood their responsibilities when caring for the infant and they took it seriously. The research also found that there was no significant difference in students views of pregnancy in comparing those who did not complete the BTIO intervention (Somers and Fahlman, 2001).

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