Rapid repeat pregnancy among low-income adolescents: A collective case study of adolescent mothers in Mobile, Alabama

Title: Rapid repeat pregnancy among low-income adolescents: A collective case study of adolescent mothers in Mobile, Alabama

Background: Rapid repeat pregnancy among adolescents is an important social and health outcome with implications for both the mother and her children. The literature describes predictors and determinants of adolescent pregnancy in general and repeat pregnancy specifically; however, studies employing an ecological perspective and qualitative data collected from adolescent mothers are lacking.

Purpose: To describe the life experiences and interpersonal and community contexts of female adolescents who have had rapid repeat pregnancies.

Methods: The investigator developed case studies to provide longitudinal, in-depth portraits representing the phenomenon of rapid repeat pregnancy among low-income adolescents. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from adolescent mothers living in Mobile, Alabama. Quantitative data include neighborhood characteristics, education, substance use, sexual behavior, interpersonal relationships, and health indicators collected over five or more years through the Mobile Youth Survey. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with the adolescents and their mothers subsequent to the collection of quantitative data.

Results: Adolescent mothers reported differences in intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community-level characteristics over time. However, there was remarkable consistency in their reports of knowledge to prevent a pregnancy and a general lack of desire for a pregnancy combined with inconsistent contraceptive use.

Conclusions: These case studies provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of rapid repeat pregnancy among low-income adolescents and indicate points of intervention to prevent this outcome of risky sexual behavior.