Impact of Social and Cultural Factors on Teenage Pregnancy

Authors

Devi Akella, Albany State University, GeorgiaFollow
Melissa Jordan, Albany State University, GeorgiaFollow

Keywords

teenage pregnancy; African American population; social learning theory; phenomenological analysis

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Community College Leadership | Higher Education | Immune System Diseases | Public Health | Translational Medical Research | Virus Diseases

Abstract

United States has the highest level of teenage pregnancy amongst the industrialized nations. Further, the level of teenage pregnancy is highest amongst the minority population. This research study examines the reasons behind high rates of early childbirth amongst African American teenagers. This study uses Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning Theory to deconstruct the factors, which influence and manipulate the overall behavior of the teenagers and initiates them to choose early motherhood over education and career. To ensure better quality of empirical data, the authors collaborated with the pregnant teenagers and a local non-profit community agency using a phenomenological analysis.

Permissions

Received permission from Institutional Review Board, Albany State University, Georgia

Recommended Citation

Akella, Devi and Jordan, Melissa (2014) "Impact of Social and Cultural Factors on Teenage Pregnancy," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol8/iss1/3