Vicki's blog: "In the head!"

Vicki Sinclair

April 2009

According to the article, Baby Think It Over ®: Using role-play to prevent teen pregnancy, teen pregnancy rates have recently began to fall for American teens, but still the United States remains to have the highest rates in the industrial world. In Canada, teen pregnancy is on the rise, and in 1996, 45.4 females per 1000, ages 15-21 years were pregnant. Even with the rise in Canada, the United States in 1996 reported 83.6 per 1000 pregnant females between the same ages.

Clearly there remain gaps somewhere along the way in educating adolescents on issues pertaining to safe sex, abstinence, and the realities of sex becoming an unplanned pregnancy. When we see so many youth having babies, and so few resources working to help them through many detrimental areas of life and growth; we need to question whether the programs and funds are in the right areas to actually make a difference. Baby Think It Over ®: Using role-play to prevent teen pregnancy discusses different prevention programs that have been in effect with little or no results as well as the study of a program that utilizes role-play as a way to offer an attitude change from their current “it can’t happen to me” views.

No matter which way we view it; teen pregnancy is very real and very near. There are programs for teens every where. Each program usually varies in one way or another. The area of N.Y that I live in seems to base their teen parent efforts more on referral, parenting, and immediate help needs such as housing, diapers and food. If our young parents are motivated enough and willing enough, they will reach out for all the help direction they are given. Although this help is necessary, many times and in many teen parent programs, the advocates or social workers allow the teen parent to choose what area they think they need the most help in, and their main focus is set there.

Family-of-origin interaction and adolescent mothers’ potential for child abuse, is an article that lays out studies done with teen parents that measured their potential for child abuse. This article states that in 1986, an estimated one million children were abused in the United States. There are several different reasons that teen parents may become abusive to their children. My experience as both a teen parent and the mother of a teen parent leads me to look more toward family interactions, intergenerational abuse and isolation many teen parents feel.

I strongly believe that a look into family history as well as a strong, close nit support system is necessary first and foremost for teen parent programs. In my area of N.Y, there are no programs that focus on these areas of help and support. Currently we have an Equal Opportunity Program that has several different programs within it for equal opportunity purposes, and one small part of that is for teen parents. This program is designed more for education and training and offers no emotional support or counseling programs. The majority of teen parents who are getting counseling services are ordered by Social Services or the family court after problems have occurred in their parenting.

There is also a program specific for adolescent parents called “Help for Adolescent Parents” or HAP. HAP is a program that begins with childbirth classes and offers diapers, clothing, formula and referrals. They have recently begun to offer more in depth parenting classes as well. Another agency that focuses on teens is TASA or “Teenage Service Act.” TASA is a home based program that visits as needed, usually monthly and develops plans and goals with teens. They are more into advocacy and referral, seeing that the teens have the resources in place to meet their goals.

With all the agencies, advocates and referrals, teen parents can get what they need and also receive help and motivation for education and employment. I feel as though even with the amount of help and networking between agencies, there is a huge hole that is not being filled for what teen parents really need or depth and inner healing and growth. If all the resources and programs for teen parents were compiled into an intense treatment program with a supportive and stable family interaction program and peer support groups, I believe it would target more reality to the fact that it all starts n the family and usually stays in the family.

References

Baby Think It Over ®: Using role-play to prevent teen pregnancy, Jennifer W. Out and Kathryn D. Lafreniere, Adolescents. Roslyn Heights: Fall 2001. Vol.36, Iss. 143; pg. 571, 12 pgs. ..

Family-of-origin interaction and adolescent mothers’ potential for child abuse, Mona McCullough and Avarham Scherman. Adolescents. Rosyln Heights: Summer 1998. Vol. 33, Iss. 130; pg. 375, 10 pgs. ..