Risk Factors of Unintended Repeat Pregnancy among Adolescents

บทคัดย่อ

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors of unintended repeat pregnancies among adolescents. Theory of Triadic Influence: TTI1 was used as a theoretical framework. A case-control study was designed to address the purpose of the study. Participants consisted of 234 pregnant adolescents aged 19 years and younger who had repeated pregnancies within 24 months, in the east of Thailand. The subjects were divided into two groups: study group (case) consisted of 117 unintended repeated pregnant adolescents and the control group consisted of 117 intended repeated pregnant adolescents. The self-administered questionnaires were used as an instrument. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and binary logistic regression analysis at 95% confident interval. The results of this study revealed that pregnant adolescents whose partners did not want babies were 41 times more likely to have unintended repeated pregnancies than those whose partners wanted babies (ORadj= 41.02; 95% CI = 8.34-201.78). Those who inconsistently used contraception were 3 times more likely to have unintended repeat pregnancies than those consistently used (ORadj= 3.34; 95% CI = 1.24-9.00); and those who reported having friends becoming pregnant were 2 times more likely to have unintended repeat pregnancies than those who did not have (ORadj= 2.24; 95% CI = 1.10-5.46). The findings suggested that nurse practitioners should pay attention to adolescents whose partners did not want babies, who inconsistently used contraception, and those who had their friends becoming pregnant. These factors are risk factors of unintended repeat pregnancy among adolescents, affecting infant development during pregnancy.