Adolescent parenthood reduces the opportunities and optimal outcomes for both mother and child, yet pregnant teenagers rarely consider adoption. This paper reports a qualitative study that explored the reasons this option is so rarely examined. Twenty-one unmarried pregnant adolescents and their significant others were interviewed twice to determine the meaning adoption has for them. Four phenomena were found to be pivotal to the their willingness to consider adoption: (1) societal sanctions, (2) low level of knowledge, (3) anticipated psychological discomfort, and (4) lack of support from helping professionals. Information generated should be useful at health and social policy levels as well as to professionals who work with pregnant teenagers.
PIP: In the US, 40% of pregnant adolescents have abortions, and only 5% of those who give birth allow their babies to be adopted despite the social problems associated with adolescent parenthood. A study was undertaken to explore the reasons for this low interest in adoption in order to help professionals encourage a thoughtful consideration of the adoption alternative. The study combined phenomenologic and constant comparative approaches and was guided by the symbolic interaction theory of human behavior. A sample of 21 White adolescents and their "significant others" (people influential in their decision-making) was interviewed during the last trimester of an unplanned pregnancy and 6-8 weeks after giving birth. The subjects were primarily from Hollingshead's social class III and IV, and the sample was controlled for cultural variables among ethnic groups. Data collected during the open-ended interviews were organized with the Ethno-graph computer program. Analysis reduced the 104 factors identified as being related to adoption decision-making to 24 phenomena in the broad domains of beliefs (loss, owning, responsibility, child welfare, predetermination, fear of infertility, and the child as a love symbol), knowledge (general adoption knowledge level and knowledge sources), and contextual phenomena (attitudes about adoption, societal sanctions, contraceptive beliefs and practices, social-legal disorganization, family demographics and support, male partner involvement, education and career value/plans/goals, social welfare, peer parenting support and modeling, family reproductive models, role preparation, work experience, and development). 3 of the phenomena and 1 theme which recurred in 3 additional phenomena seemed to be pivotal to the willingness of the subjects to consider adoption. The most important phenomena was the presence of societal sanctions against adoption. This social disapproval is also related to the adolescent's beliefs about parenting responsibility. Another key phenomenon was a lack of accurate knowledge about adoption exhibited by adolescents, helping professionals, and the general population. This lack allows the stereotypical beliefs that exist in society to influence both pregnant adolescents and helping professionals and is related to the failure of professionals to initiate an adoption dialogue. The most powerful immediate barrier to adoption consideration was the belief that severe, intolerable, and ongoing psychological distress would occur if the adolescent allowed her baby to be adopted. Further research is needed to validate these findings in samples of different ages, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic status; to validate propositions suggested by the proposed models; and to compare an adoption sample and a nonadoption control to explore longterm results of the adoption decision.