A number of interacting factors are discussed which significantly influence the development and expression of adolescent sexuality, including: (1) biological development; (2) societal trends; (3) psychological aspects; (4) familial patterns; and (5) historical and political influences. Adolescent cognitive development and psychoanalytic theories…

There is great public concern about illegitimate births among adolescents. The consequences of this early illegitimate childbirth have been treated in a simplistic manner to date. Several causes of the problems are: (1) young adolescents fail to prevent pregnancy when they feel there is little future or reward for them in society; (2) teenagers…

Issues and trends related to adolescent pregnancy and childbearing in the United States are discussed in the 12 papers collected in this publication. Chapters I and II delineate trends in teenage childbearing and explore aspects of psychosocial development and social problems associated with teenage illegitimacy. Chapters III and IV describe…