An exhaustive analytic review of large bodies of research indicates that rates of premarital intercourse among teenagers have risen sharply since 1966. This is particularly true for white females, for whom the rate is probably about three times that of the 1920's thru the mid-1960's; for white males the rate seems to have risen about 50%. By age…

Used data from High School and Beyond Survey to examine impact of knowledge and attitudes on teenage out-of-wedlock childbearing among approximately 10,000 female high school sophomores. Found that sexual knowledge had no effect on chances of respondents having out-of-wedlock children, family values stressing responsibility significantly reduced…

Unwed pregnancy in young women was conceptualized as a motivated goal interactively determined by both personality and situational factors. The primary behavioral correlate indicative of this predisposition is inadequate use of readily available birth control techniques (B.C.) for the sexually active female. In addition, sex frequency and the…

Nonmarital intercourse among teenagers rose during the early 1970s. Biological, social, and psychological variables are associated with both early nonmarital coitus and contraceptive behaviors; effects of adolescent childbearing tend to be minor when appropriate statistical techniques are used to control for the impact of socioeconomic status and…

Study examined perceptions of pregnancy, including life-expectations, desire for pregnancy, and knowledge of menstrual cycle in a sample of pregnant urban adolescents. Results indicate that, although teens were aware of birth control methods, they had little understanding of menstrual cycle and its relationship to intercourse. And while few…

Examines data surrounding issues related to educational attitudes and attainment and teenage pregnancy, nonmarital births, and child poverty. Addresses proximate and root causes of rising U.S. rates of teenage pregnancy, correlations between nonmarital births and educational and occupational expectations, and educational and economic consequences.…