Proceedings of a conference on adolescent pregnancy are presented in this document. Eunice Kennedy Shriver's opening address, in which she urged the building of "communities of caring" is summarized, as is the address by Gina C. Adams who discussed recent findings on the topic of adolescent pregnancy. Several programs developed to…

The growing concern in recent years about apparent increases in adolescent pregnancies has given rise to a proliferate but fragmented literature. Reviewing this literature from several disciplinary perspectives, the author concludes that it is unable to support diagnosis or intervention because it lacks an adequate theoretical and empirical base.…

Data from 1976 New Hampshire birth certificates were used to examine the correlations between the degree (month of pregnancy that prenatal care began) and intensity (number of prenatal visits) of prenatal care and low infant birth weight, illegitimacy, maternal age, maternal education, and complications of pregnancy. The rate of low birth weight…

The author cites research findings which link alcoholism in pregnant women to abnormalities of the central nervous system and mental retardation in offspring. (CL)

Used maternal-infant bonding as theoretical framework to examine grief and elective abortion in 80 women who terminated their pregnancies either by vacuum aspiration, dilitation and evacuation, or intrauterine induction. Found grief associated with elective abortion to be symptomatically similar to grief experienced following involuntary…

Findings from empirical research differ greatly from the Supreme Court's assumptions about psychological factors in adolescent abortion. Psychologists should preserve adolescent clients' privacy in counseling about pregnancy-related decisions. Government should encourage counseling services for pregnant adolescents and research on psychological…

New adolescent patients (N=150) at a large urban clinic were interviewed to determine what events or advice led to their decision to approach a family planning clinic for the first time. The roles of pregnancy scares, advice from significant others, and situational factors in motivating service use are presented. Program implications of these…

Recognizes concern that today's adolescents, including early adolescents, may be making important life choices such as parenthood before they are developmentally ready for such roles. Deals with pregnancy in adolescents and modes of responding to this phenomenon by those in the counseling and other helping professions. (Author/NRB)

Assessed public attitude toward, and awareness of possible problems and risks associated with, the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Results indicated a high awareness of the problem, knowledge of the specific effects to the offspring, and of quantities and frequency of consumption of alcohol which would have teratogenic effects were…

Describes a model program to address the problems of pregnant teens. Services include education, health care assistance, economic self-support assistance, prevention of child abuse, family preservation, coordination of helping programs, and counseling on options. (CH)

Interviewed 24 expectant parents in the eighth month of pregnancy to determine if they noted fetal behavior patterns which created for them a sense of their unborn as an individual. Data indicated that prospective mothers and fathers described individual characteristics of the fetus in relation to appearance, communication, gender, temperament,…

Follow-up of 100 children whose mothers were identified during their pregnancy as high risk for serious parenting problems indicated that the scale (Family Stress Checklist) was a remarkably accurate predictor, with a sensitivity (percent correct negatives) of 89 percent. (CL)

Three groups of women who varied in abortion status were formed to investigate the self-concept and locus of control of a total of 90 women. No significant differences in self-concept were found among the three groups, nor was there a relationship between locus of control and repeated abortion. (Author/ABB)

Compared records of 32 couples who achieved pregnancy during the adoption process with records of couples who did not. Findings suggested that medical diagnosis, age, and emotional components of the adoption study process were intertwined determining factors in couples' achieving pregnancy. (NRB)