Rural junior high school students' risk factors for and perceptions of teen-age parenthood

A sample consisting of 689 junior high school rural adolescents was surveye d about their perceptions of being a teen parent and their current sexual b ehavior. A risk factor analysis also,vas conducted to determine factors tha t significantly predict whether adolescents had engaged in sexual intercour se. Results indicate that one in nine adolescents had engaged in sexual int ercourse (11%). The risk factor analyses showed that smoking and efficacy e xpectations of not engaging in sexual intercourse were significant predicto rs for both genders. For the most part adolescents responded positively on four constructs: 1) attitudes reward being a teen parent; 2) efficacy expec tations of not engaging in sexual intercourse; 3) benefits of being a teen parent; and 4) and barriers to being a teen parent. However, when analyses were conducted for males and females separately, females scored higher on e ach factor. Overall, results indicate these teens recognized problems that may occur from being a teen parent.