Personality Factors Related to Black Teenage Pregnancy and Abortion

Abstract

Forty-eight pregnant adolescents who applied for therapeutic abortions (TAs) were compared with 55 adolescents who planned to have their babies (Terms) and 67 adolescents who were not pregnant (Controls) on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI). All the subjects were single, Black, and aged 15 or 16. CPI results point to psychological differences with the Controls being most socialized, followed by the TAs, and then the Terms. Term girls seem to be experiencing a void and appear to be trying to fill it and assume an adult role by having a baby; the TAs do not seem to have these same needs. In addition, girls who became pregnant and described the relationship with the putative father as casual, appear on the CPI to have more daily problems, lack socialization, be less clear thinking, and have poor self-control. Pregnant girls who have good communication with their mothers showed no differences on the CPI from girls with poor communication with their mothers.

SUMMARY

Comparing the CPIs of girls who opt for an abortion, girls who go to term, and nonpregnant Control girls has resulted in several findings. First, there are important psychological differences among these three groups. The Control girls seem to be the best socialized, followed by the Abortion girls, and the Term girls are least socialized. Data suggest that the Term girls feel some void and are attempting to fill it by giving birth to a child; becoming a mother is for them an important step in assuming an adult female role. The Abortion girls do not have these psychological needs as much as the Term girls do, or at least they have chosen different routes to meeting the needs they have.

Not surprisingly, the type of relationship with the putative father has psychological implications for the pregnant girls. Girls who report serious emotional involvements with their boyfriends seem to think more clearly, report fewer daily problems, appear to have internalized society's rules, and are better able to meet these expectations than are the girls who report only casual relationships with their boyfriends at the time of pregnancy. These findings suggest that for the latter girls, becoming pregnant as the result of a sexual relationship with a male who is a casual acquaintance does not lead to the feeling of being more mature or being more broad-minded toward sex. To the contrary, these girls appear to be experiencing more psychological problems than girls with serious relationships, and their sexual behavior and pregnancy are likely a manifestation of or attempt to cope with their difficulties.

These researchers had hoped that the girls deciding to have their babies would be the most mature and best prepared psychologically to assume the role of mother. The current results do not support that hope. Of course, some pregnant girls who decide to go to term are capable of becoming good mothers; each case must be evaluated individually. The present findings point out that professionals working with unmarried, pregnant adolescents should be alert to the possibility that girls becoming pregnant from a casual relationship and young adolescents deciding to have their babies may be dissatisfied people who are attempting to resolve their problems through their sexual behavior and decisions regarding motherhood.