Do Adolescents Want Babies? The Relationship Between Attitudes and Behavior

Abstract

In this study we explored the effects of attitudes toward childbearing, contraception, contraceptive efficacy and abortion, and perceptions of partners' attitudes on contraceptive use, conception, and childbearing among 313 young inner-city Black women (less than or equal to 17 years) who presented at a clinic for pregnancy tests and were followed for 2 years at 6-month intervals. A multi-item construct defining young women's desire for pregnancy was created with factor analysis; its multivariate relationships to the outcome behaviors suggested the substantive importance of ambivalence, which was as significantly related to childbearing as the positive desire to conceive. We discuss methodological issues in assessing "wantedness" and implications of the findings for program and policy.