Social acceptance; a possible mediator in the association between socio-economic deprivation and under-18 pregnancy rates?

Abstract

This study examines the social acceptance of young (under-18) pregnancy by assessing people's acceptance of young pregnancy and abortion in relation to deprivation. A cross-sectional survey design was conducted in two relatively affluent and two relatively deprived local authorities in London (n=570). Contrary to previous findings, participants were significantly more accepting of young pregnancy in the more affluent areas and if they were young parents. When controlling for other personal characteristics, only age remained significantly related to acceptance, and there was evidence of an interaction between level of area deprivation and age. The work supported previous findings, with people in more affluent areas being the most accepting of abortion. Age and ethnicity were significantly associated with acceptance of abortion after adjusting for level of area deprivation. An interaction effect between ethnicity and area deprivation was found. The importance of the psychosocial processes behind acceptance of young pregnancy was highlighted. Area deprivation does not have a uniform influence over people who vary in their personal characteristics. Young pregnancy prevention programmes and support groups for young parents must address the influence of social deprivation, age and ethnicity and how this affects the fabric of young people's lives.

Keywords:

• young adulthood
• social class
• parenthood

Notes

1. ‘Young pregnancy’ is used here to represent all pregnancies that are conceived under the age of 18. This definition is used as the UK Government's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy for England highlights under-18 conceptions as being the target (Social Exclusion Unit, 1999). The term ‘teenage pregnancy’ suggests that 19-year-olds will be included.

2. Social deprivation was assessed with the Carstairs index, which produces a composite variable from an unweighted combination of four census variables – unemployment, car ownership, overcrowding and social class.

3. In the UK, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks. See http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1990/Ukpga_19900037_en_1.htm.

4. The rest of the questionnaire asked participants qualitative questions to explore what they thought were ‘young’ to have a baby and why they had the views they did regarding acceptance of pregnancy and abortion.

5. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census.

6. Health locus of control is concerned with whether people feel that they have control over their health (internal locus of control) or whether it is controlled by factors outside their control (external locus of control) (Wallston et al. 1978).

7. Office of National Statistics (2006).

8. Government Statistical Service (2006).

9. Noble et al. (2004).

10. Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.

11. Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.