Self-Esteem, Attitudes toward Love, and Sexual Assertiveness among Pregnant Adolescents

Nieves Moyano, Reina Granados, Christian Andrés Durán and Carlos Galarza
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Nieves Moyano: Department of Evolutionary and Education Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences Education, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Reina Granados: Department of Nursey, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Christian Andrés Durán: Independent Researchers, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Carlos Galarza: Independent Researchers, Guayaquil, Ecuador

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: Adolescence is a stage of growth and development of great relevance. Unplanned teenage pregnancies can be considered a global public health problem due to the high impact on the present and future of these young people, as well as their possible offspring. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between self-esteem, attitudes toward love, and sexual assertiveness among pregnant and non-pregnant teenagers. We also considered whether their pregnancy was planned or not. The study was conducted with 225 women from Ecuador (34.2% pregnant; Mean age = 16; SD = 1.15). We administered self-reported measures such as the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Love Attitudes Scale, and the Sexual Assertiveness Scale between 2018 and 2019. Self-esteem was higher in adolescents with a planned pregnancy than in those women whose pregnancy was not planned. Pregnant women reported greater acceptance and endorsement of beliefs related to the myth of “soulmate” in comparison to non-pregnant women. Sexual assertiveness related to the negotiation of the use of contraceptive methods was greater in non-pregnant adolescents than in pregnant girls. We discuss the implications of our findings in terms of sexual education and prevention in the sex education field. This study shows differences in self-esteem, attitudes toward love, and sexual assertiveness between pregnant and non-pregnant adolescents.

Keywords: self-esteem; attitudes toward love; sexual assertiveness; pregnancy; adolescent (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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