Review article
Adolescent Men's Attitudes in Relation to Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature From 1980–2009

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.05.005Get rights and content

Abstract

This review article reveals a long-standing gender bias in academic and policy research on adolescent pregnancy, which has led to the neglect of adolescent men's perspectives. The review summarizes the available literature on adolescent men's attitudes in relation to pregnancy occurrence and pregnancy outcomes in the context of addressing three questions: (1) What are adolescent men's attitudes to an adolescent pregnancy? (2) What are adolescent men's attitudes in relation to pregnancy outcomes? (3) What explanations are offered for the identified attitudes to adolescent pregnancy and resolution? The review establishes a foundation for future quantitative and qualitative research on adolescent men's perspectives. It emphasizes that a greater understanding of adolescent men's perspectives could lead to a re-framing of adolescent pregnancy away from being seen solely as a woman's issue. Furthermore, it is argued that the inclusion of adolescent men would lead to more effective adolescent pregnancy prevention and counseling programmes.

Section snippets

Method

Figure 1 outlines our electronic search strategy for the period 1980 to 2009. Searches using keywords (see Figure 1) and MeSH terms, where possible, yielded a total of 1160 papers, the examination of which resulted in the elimination of 495 on the basis of our a priori inclusion or exclusion criteria (see also Figure 2 for a sample keyword search).

The primary inclusion criteria were as follows:

  • Papers pertaining to adolescent men aged between 10 and 24 years (this age range represents the outer

What are Adolescent Men's Attitudes to an Adolescent Pregnancy?

Our review of the literature encompassing this point [5], [17], [19], [21], [41], [44], [60], [62], [63], [67] suggests that adolescent men view an unintended pregnancy during their teenage years as a negative event because of the adverse effect having a baby will have on their future aspirations and life goals, as well as on current freedoms. Only a minority of men across these studies expressed ambivalence or positive feelings in relation to an adolescent pregnancy [17], [24], [31], [44], [58]

What are Adolescent Men's Attitudes in Relation to Pregnancy Outcomes?

We deal with this larger question by first looking at adolescent men's views on pregnancy outcome decisions in three different sets of studies, general attitude surveys, quantitative studies using a vignette methodology, and qualitative studies. Second, we explore adolescent men's views on the right to be involved in decision-making and their experience of being involved in the decision-making process. In addressing both of these questions, the reader will note that the overwhelming focus of

Explanations of trends in attitudes to adolescent pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes

We now review the evidence for the explanations of adolescent men's attitudes to pregnancy occurrence and pregnancy outcome choices. The dominant explanatory model emerging from the literature is a social-environmental model incorporating both social context variables and individual psychological variables. A minority of the studies draw on social cognitive models of behavior and specifically Theory of Planned Behavior [68], [69], [70], [71], [72] which measures normative beliefs and subjective

Discussion—Implications for future research

Research syntheses perform an essential role in disseminating research knowledge and in shaping further research, policy practice, and public perception [87]. This is the first systematic review which specifically explores adolescent men's attitudes to an unplanned pregnancy and their attitudes in relation to pregnancy decision-making. We have addressed three specific questions: What are adolescent men's attitudes to an adolescent pregnancy? What are adolescent men's attitudes and

Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was obtained from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency (Ireland). The paper represents the views of the authors and not that of the funding organization. The authors are grateful to Colin Shaw for editorial assistance.

Drs Lohan and Cruise conducted the literature search and literature analysis and drafted the paper. Drs O'Halloran, Alderdice and Hyde offered advice on the systematic review methodology and contributed to writing the manuscript.

References (88)

  • A. Hooke et al.

    Gender differences in Ayrshire teenagers' attitudes to sexual relationships, responsibility and unintended pregnancies

    J Adolesc

    (2000)
  • M.B. Agostino et al.

    Adolescents' attitudes to abortion in samples from Italy and Sweden

    Soc Sci Med

    (1991)
  • R. Vaz et al.

    Adolescent pregnancy. Involvement of the male partner

    J Adolesc Health

    (1983)
  • L.I. Holmberg et al.

    The process of decision-making on abortion: A grounded theory study of young men in Sweden

    J Adolesc Health

    (2000)
  • I. Ajzen et al.

    Prediction of goal directed behavior: Attitudes, intentions and perceived behavioral control

    J Exp Soc Psychol

    (1986)
  • Department for Children, Schools and Families. Support for all: The families and relationships green paper [Online]....
  • W. Horn et al.

    Father Facts

    (2002)
  • A. Hyde et al.

    Understanding Teenage Sexuality in Ireland

    (2004)
  • M. Larsson et al.

    Reasons for pregnancy termination, contraceptive habits and contraceptive failure among Swedish women requesting an early pregnancy termination

    Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand

    (2002)
  • Women and Crisis Pregnancy

    (1998)
  • S. Sihvo et al.

    Women's life cycle and abortion decision in unintended pregnancies

    J Epidemiol Community Health

    (2003)
  • Office for National Statisitcs [Online]. Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk. Accessed February 25,...
  • R.P. Petchesky

    Global Prescriptions: Gendering Health and Human Rights

    (2003)
  • F.D. Ginsburg et al.

    Conceiving the New World Order: The Global Politics of Reproduction

    (1995)
  • A. DiCenso et al.

    Interventions to reduce unintended pregnancies among adolescents: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials

    BMJ

    (2002)
  • With One Voice 2007: America's Adults and Teens Sound off About Teen Pregnancy

    (2007)
  • The Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships: Summary Report

    (2006)
  • J.C. Abma et al.

    Teenagers in the United States: Sexual activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing, 2002

    Vital Health Stat

    (2004)
  • In their Own Right: Addressing the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of American Men

    (2002)
  • M. Zavodny

    The effect of partners' characteristics on teenage pregnancy and its resolution

    Fam Plann Perspect

    (2001)
  • N. Dickson et al.

    Unwanted pregnancies involving young women and men in a New Zealand birth cohort

    N Z Med J

    (2002)
  • S. Boggess et al.

    Trends in adolescent males' abortion attitudes, 1988-1995: Differences by race and ethnicity

    Fam Plann Perspect

    (2000)
  • R. Misra et al.

    Trends in abortion attitude among young adults: 1977–1993

    Am J Health Stud

    (2000)
  • L. Ku et al.

    Understanding changes in sexual activity among young metropolitan men: 1979–1995

    Fam Plann Perspect

    (1998)
  • W. Marsiglio

    Adolescent males' orientation toward paternity and contraception

    Fam Plann Perspect

    (1993)
  • W. Marsiglio et al.

    Adolescent males' abortion attitudes: Data from a national survey

    Fam Plann Perspect

    (1993)
  • J.H. Pleck et al.

    Masculinity ideology: Its impact on adolescent males' heterosexual relationships

    J Soc Issues

    (1993)
  • K.E. Kiernan

    Becoming a young parent: A longitudinal study of associated factors

    Br J Sociol

    (1997)
  • J.T. Condon et al.

    Processes and factors underlying adolescent males' attitudes and decision-making in relation to an unplanned pregnancy

    J Youth Adolesc

    (2006)
  • J.T. Condon et al.

    Australian adolescents' attitudes and beliefs concerning pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood: The development, psychometric testing and results of a new scale

    J Adolesc

    (2000)
  • M. Buchanan et al.

    Early adult psychological consequences for males of adolescent pregnancy and its resolution

    J Youth Adolesc

    (1990)
  • M.D. Resnick et al.

    Health and risk behaviors of urban adolescent males involved in pregnancy

    Fam Soc

    (1993)
  • J.K. Jones

    Male involvement in the abortion decision and college students' attitudes on the subject

    Soc Sci J

    (2006)
  • C. Rosengard et al.

    Psychosocial correlates of adolescent males' pregnancy intention

    Pediatrics

    (2005)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text