Young People’s Attitudes Towards Unprotected Sex

and Pregnancy

Honor YoungPhD Student

University of Wales Institute, Cardiff

Health Psychology

• Using psychological principles to promote changes in people's attitudes, behaviour and thinking about health (BPS, 2011)

• A persons’ attitudes, beliefs, motivation and intentions influence their behaviour (BPS, 2010)

Attitudes towards Unprotected Sex and Pregnancy

• Past research– Costs and benefits of sexual intercourse and pregnancy

(Deptula et al., 2006; Herrman, 2008).– Motivation to avoid pregnancy (Brown and Guthrie,

2010; Jaccard et al, 2003) – Sex education and knowledge (Burack, 2000;

Stephenson, 2004)– Social context (Arai, 2007)

The Theory of Planned Behaviour

Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behaviour. Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes. 50, 179-211

My PhD Research

• Phase 1: Conducted 5 in-depth pilot interviews

Attitudes

Perceived Behavioural Control

Subjective Norms

Perceived Behaviour of Important Others

“I dunno, just like the majority of my friends are either pregnant or they have got kids, like my mate,

she got two kids … when I meet new people they’re like ‘got any kids?’”

“I look at her, and when she had her baby, I must admit I did be like, I want a baby, because she was one of my friends and like one of my close friends”

Amy, age 16

Important Others Approval of Behaviour

“Well my sister and my mum and that think I’m gunna have a baby before I’m 18. ‘Cos of the people I have around with, they’re the type of

people that you look at ‘em, and you think that they would like … Yeah, like the boy I’m with now, he’s like how come you haven’t got no kids now, ‘cos

he’s me my friends”

Amy, age 16

Extent of Important Others Approval

“At first they were shocked. They umm, I suppose they didn’t, they weren’t really talking to me or

nothing, but then I give ‘em a couple of days like and they were fine then”

Sarah, Mother at 19

Motivation to Comply

“If anything my mum kinda went on all the time about using protection. So if anything, I let my

mum down”

James, father at 18

He just told me everything about it [contraception] and like it’s just kinda like, I looked up to him like a brother and I didn’t wanna piss him off if you know

what I mean”

Dominic, age 17

My PhD Research

• Phase 2: Questionnaires to adolescents (age 16-19 parents/non-parents)

• Phase 3: In depth interviews and focus groups

Outcomes

• Identify recurrent themes/factors which motivate behaviour

• Inform the development of more focussed health-behaviour interventions targeting teenagers’ attitudes and beliefs

Honor Young (PhD Student)

hoyoung@uwic.ac.uk

Supervisors: Dr Caroline Limbert,

Dr Jenny Mercer, Dr Katie Thirlaway

References• Arai, l. (2007). Peer and neighbourhood influences on teenage pregnancy and

fertility. Qualitative findings from research in English communities. Health and Place. 13. 87-98

• Armitage, C. and Conner, M. (2001). Efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A meta-analytic review. The British Journal of Social Psychology, 40: 471-499

• Bayley, J., Brown, K. and Wallace, L. (2009). Teenagers and emergency contraception in the UK: A focus group study of salient beliefs using concepts from the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 14(3): 196-206

• BPS (2011). Health Psychology. What is Health Psychology? Retrieved 20/1/11 (2011) http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/what-do-psychologists-do/areas/health.cfm#03

• BPS (2010). Response to the Department for Children, Schools and Families consultation: Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010. 1 – 10.

• Brown, S. and Guthrie, K. (2010). Why don’t teenagers use contraception? A qualitative interview study. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 15. 197-204

References Continued.• Burack, R. (2000). Young teenagers’ attitudes towards general practitioners and their

provision of sexual health care. British Journal of General Practice. 50. 550-554.

• Deptula, D., Henry, D., Shoeny, M. and Slavick, J. (2006). Adolescent sexual behaviour and attitudes: A costs and benefits approach. Journal of Adolescent Health. 38. 35-43

• Herrman, J. (2008). Adolescent perceptions of teen births. Journal of Obstetric, Gynaecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. 37, 42-50.

• Jaccard, J., Dodge, T. and Dittus, P. (2003). Do adolescents want to avoid pregnancy? Attitutdes toward pregnancy as predictors of pregnancy. Journal of Adolescent Health. 33. 79-83.

• Reineck, J., Schmidt, P. and Aizen, I. (1996).. Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to adolescent condom use: A panel study. The Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 26 (9): 749-772

• Stephenson et al. (2004). Pupil-led sex education in England (RIPPLE study) cluster-randomised intervention trial. The Lancet. 364. 338-345