Lucky Girls: Unintentional Avoidance of Adolescent Pregnancy Among Low-Income African-American Females

• Published in: Journal for specialists in pediatric nursing Vol. 7; no. 4; pp. 153 - 161
• Main Authors: Martyn, Kristy K., Hutchinson, Sally A., Martin, Jacquelyn H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2002
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adult; African Americans - psychology; blacks; contraception; Contraception Behavior - psychology; Family Relations; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Nursing; Peer Group; Poverty; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Unwanted; Qualitative research; Sexual Behavior; United States; United States
• ISSN: 1539-0136; 1744-6155
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6155.2002.tb00171.x

PURPOSE. To describe lucky adolescents who unintentionally avoid pregnancy. DESIGN AND METHODS. The second phase of a descriptive qualitative study in which 17 low‐income African‐American females ages 19 to 26 participated in open‐ended interviews on how they avoided pregnancy as adolescents. RESULTS. Constant comparative analysis revealed that five of the girls avoided pregnancy because they were “lucky“ that others insisted they use contraceptives. These lucky girls were unaware of sexual risks, but used contraceptives because they complied with decisions made by their parents, grandparents, and partners. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Lucky girls are at risk for adolescent pregnancy because they abdicate decision making to others and are likely to be overlooked in practice because they are using contraceptives. Promoting self‐protection includes assessment, knowledge, skills‐building strategies, and health‐promoting contracts between the nurse and adolescent.