Date of Award
Summer 2021
Document Type
Final DNP Paper
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
Faculty Chair
Dr. Jennifer Frank
Preceptor
Dr. Leslie Ford
Abstract
Teenage pregnancy and unplanned parenthood are social issues in many communities, states, and developed and undeveloped countries. The impact of early, unplanned pregnancy is detrimental to the adolescent's health, mental health, and physical well-being. Teenage pregnancy may be considered a social issue that is often the result of inadequate sexual and reproductive education, both in adult parents and teenagers. Despite recent reductions in teenage pregnancies, in recent years, more than 20 million teenagers experienced parenthood before graduating from high school. Programs are needed to prevent the possible stigma, physical and emotional risks of unplanned teenage pregnancy, lower adolescent pregnancy rates, and increase pregnancy prevention education. The purpose of the Preventing Unplanned Pregnancies (PUPs) program is to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions through multiple educational approaches, which include coping with peer pressure, abstinence, and birth control methods. The PUPs program focused on ninth-grade male and female students, age 14-16, and included 15 female and 10 male students. The workshops for the PUPs program occurred in a virtual classroom over 12 weeks. The PUPs program included an initial Parent Symposium focused on improving communication between teenagers and parents, building relationships, abstinence, family planning, and emotions. A total of 25 male and female adolescents participated in the program, 10% of the parents attended the initial Parent Symposium and less than 5% of the male and female participants reported knowledge of teenage pregnancy and the correct use of contraceptives. The initial PUPs Parent Symposium indicated some parents were in support of teenagers using contraceptives. Ten percent of the participants reported knowing the risk of sexual intercourse, including pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. None of the students identified themselves as being at high risk for becoming pregnant or contracting a sexually transmitted disease. The data analysis also indicated that fears, myths, and misconceptions of sexual promiscuity exist with birth control during adolescence.
Recommended Citation
Dudley, Eliza, "Preventing Unplanned Pregnancies: The Impact of Prevention Education" (2021). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 41.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/etds_nursing/41