TEENAGE PREGNANCY - SEEKING PATTERNS THAT PROMOTE FAMILY HARMONY

Adolescent pregnancy remains a problem of epidemic proportions with no signs of abatement. Three developmental factors increase the risk of an adolescent's pregnancy: 1) psychosocial factors promote a need to a ssert independence from parents; 2) the teenager's cognitive orientati on interferes with her ability to predict long-term outcomes; and 3) t he psychological effects of family discord may be enacted through teen age pregnancy. Previewing, an innovative strategy, may be applied to h elp the adolescent adjust to developmental vicissitudes. Derived from early life caregiver-infant interaction, previewing encourages the ado lescent to represent and predict the interpersonal outcomes of her beh aviors. The application of previewing to a case involving a teenager w ith a recalcitrant pregnancy wish is discussed. Specific guidelines fo r applying this intervention within the family context are provided.