This study was undertaken to examine the role of female adolescents' anticipation and evaluation of consequences of pregnancy in their sexual behavior and experience. Consequences were operationalized as the degree to which a young woman envisioned discrepant future trajectories due to pregnancy and childbirth in adolescence versus in later adult life. Causal knowledge and attitudes toward consequences of pregnancy as well as contraceptive and pregnancy history were assessed in 78 14-to 20-year-old females at a family platning clinic. Adolescents who had been pregnant anticipated fewer negative consequences of adolescent pregnancy and childbirth than those who were never pregnant. Those who intended to terminate a pregnancy anticipated more negative consequences of adolescent childbirth (but not pregnancy) than those who intended to contitnue a pregnancy. Consistency of contraceptive use was not related to anticipation of negative conisequences of pregnancy or childbirth.
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