Adolescence is a time of tremendous physical, cognitive, emotional and social change. For pregnant teens this normal state of development can make them appear to be undecided, unpredictable and non-compliant.  An unintended pregnancy often strips the adolescent of this time for transition and requires him/her to make decisions and follow through with tasks on an adult level.

Normal adolescent development is characterized by the following elements:

▶       Physical, social, emotional, cognitive change

▶       Developing view of self and ability to see other points of view

▶       Look to peers for information

▶       Egocentric

▶       Often reject parental input

▶       Difficulty anticipating needs of others

▶       Moody with poor coping skills

▶       Have difficulty with future planning

Cognitively, adolescents are still formulating their own points of view. They do this by trying out different ways of doing things and adjusting what they do based on the reactions of others or their demands and expectations.  Socially, adolescents look primarily to the peer group for information, guidance and acceptance. For some teens, pregnancy may bring added status in their peer support group.

Emotionally, adolescents are often egocentric in nature, operating in a self- centered manner, for example, early (11 to 14 years old) and middle adolescents (15 to 17 years old) have difficulty anticipating the needs of others and putting them above their own, particularly the unborn child. They may not understand the reality and impact of caring for a baby until months after the baby is born. Handouts may be of value for the future as the teen may not yet be ready for a full discussion.

Other important aspects of adolescent development are important to keep in mind when working with teens:

▶       Teens are often moody and have coping skills that are not fully developed.

▶       Denial may be a reaction for teens, though this may be true for any age. Teens in particular may want to pretend they are not pregnant for as long as they can. Sometimes later in the pregnancy when they can feel the baby moving is when it becomes more “real” to them. Sometimes it is not until the baby is born that it becomes “real.”

▶       Socially, adolescents look primarily to the peer group for information, guidance and acceptance. For some teens, pregnancy may bring added status in their peer support group.

▶       Emotionally, adolescents may have difficulty anticipating the needs of others (like an infant) and putting them above their own. They may view the child in terms of what she/he can provide for them including unconditional love; a way to get out of a bad life situation; a boyfriend staying with them and/or supporting them; a disorganized or dysfunctional family staying together.

▶       Intellectually, adolescents may be very concrete, using here and now thinking. When they do consider the future, they often have idealistic or unrealistic expectations due to lack of experience. Teens often under-estimate the task of parenting until they face the day to day challenges of raising a child.

▶       Teens require help with future planning which begins with the identification of their resources and supports.

▶       Teen communication styles may include not being very verbal, not being very engaging, and avoiding eye contact. Despite the fact that teens tend to not be verbal and tend to give superficial answers when initially dealing with authority figures, they still need to be provided with information.

▶       Some pregnant teens may not follow through on medical advice or keep medical appointments, because these activities may set them aside from the peer group and/or they underestimate its importance.