Family structure and community connectedness: Their association with teenage pregnancy in South Africa

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationships between family structure and community connectedness on the one hand, as well as risk for teenage pregnancy on the other. Data were from the South African General Household Surveys 2011, 2012, 2013; N = 279 042, female teenagers = 9.9%, age range 10 to 19; black teenagers = 81%. We applied multilevel binary logistic regression to predict risk for teenage pregnancy by family structure and community affinity variables. Findings suggest teenage female teenagers from single-headed households and with higher numbers of male relatives are at elevated risk for teenage pregnancy. Similarly, female teenagers from families with parental divorce were at higher risk for pregnancy as were those from communities with lower coherence.

Keywords:

• divorce
• family structure
• single female headedness
• South Africa
• teenage pregnancy

Acknowledgments

This work is based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant Number: 105931).