Family relationships and adolescent pregnancy risk: A research synthesis

This article summarizes two decades of research about family, and especiall y parental, influences on the risk of adolescents becoming pregnant or caus ing a pregnancy. Research findings are most consistent that parent/child cl oseness or connectedness, parental supervision or regulation of children's activities, and parents' values against teen intercourse (or unprotected in tercourse) decrease the risk of adolescent pregnancy. Largely because of me thodological complexities, research results about parent/child sexual commu nication and adolescent pregnancy risk are very inconsistent. Residing in d isorganized/dangerous neighborhoods and in a lower SES family, living with a single parent, having older sexually active siblings or pregnant/parentin g teenage sisters, and being a victim of sexual abuse all place teens at el evated risk of adolescent pregnancy. Several biological factors (timing of pubertal development, hormone levels, and genes) also are related to adoles cent pregnancy risk because of their association with adolescent sexual int ercourse. (C) 2001 Academic Press.