Impacts of Teenage Pregnancy to those Teenagers that are Still Studying in Montalban,

Nuestra Señora De Guia Academy of Marikina

In a partial fulfillment of the

requirements for Research in Daily Life 1

Alvaro, Razel Ann V.

Atanacio, Alexander A.

Biliran, Jeneth C.

Bucayu, Benjamin L.

Cruz, Sabrina M.

Del Rosario, Marrineth D.

Punzal, John Carlo B.

Tubilan, Sean Andrei M.

January 20, 2023

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Teenage pregnancy is a global health issue that affects the health of future generations

and has a detrimental impact on birth outcomes. A female under the age of 20 becoming

pregnant is referred to as a teenage or adolescent pregnancy. Sexual contact may occur after

the beginning of ovulation, which may occur before the first period, which typically starts

around the age of 12 or 13. (World Health Organization,2017). In all contexts, socially and

economically disadvantaged populations have a higher likelihood of having adolescent

pregnancies (AJCP, 2020). (2013) Torivillas, The Philippine Star. There was broad consensus

that the number of births among this age group is still on the rise due to the high rate of

adolescent pregnancy (1981). Teenage pregnancy is alarmingly common among young

people and has almost become a global epidemic, especially in the Philippines. This

continues to be detrimental to culture and harmful to the individual. Teenage pregnancies

affect the educational development of the teenagers who experience them in a variety of

ways.

As of 2019, According to POPCOM 5,458 teens are Pregnant age 10-19 in the

Province of Rizal. Teenagers today are subjected to more sexual temptation than their

forebears, as has been recognized and well documented. They appear to be more sensitized to

the risks associated with unlawful sex and more conscious of its effects. Sexually explicit

content is becoming prevalent in today's society. Teenagers are more open to seductive

advances from adults. The Philippine government and other religious institutions are

researching all possible approaches. Researchers, writers, and others have identified a number

of variables as the causes of teenage pregnancies.

 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The Philippines is one of the countries from South-East Asia that has the highest rate of

Teenage Pregnancy. With 47 births yearly per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19, the Philippines

has a higher teenage birth rate than the average global rate of 44 and the ASEAN region's

average rate of 33.5, according to recent World Bank data.

According to the Philippine Statistical Authority from 2017, Teenage pregnancy affects

about 6% of Filipino girls. That sounds like a small number but is the second highest rate in

Southeast Asia based on Save the Children’s Global Childhood Report from 2019. Every

single day, 538 infants are thought to be born to young moms in the Philippines. And to make

this situation worse, there are about 40 births of girls who are under the age of 13 each year.

Yes, you read that right. Adorable young females, who have not even reached puberty, have

carried a kid for nine months in their fetus-like womb.

Teenage Pregnancy even affects the funds of the country. A 2016 study by the United

Nations Population Fund Philippines found that adolescents lose an aggregate lifetime

earnings of about PHP33 billion due to early childbearing. Youth councils are tasked with

working with the Human Development and Poverty Reduction (HPDR) Cabinet Cluster and

other pertinent organizations to implement programs that inform young people about

adolescent sexual and reproductive health, provide youth-friendly and rights-based measures,

develop retention strategies, and monitor young women who are pregnant.
 Also, one of the reasons that is causing this situation is because of the lack of sex

education in this country or here in the Philippines. The Philippines is becoming

overpopulated because of unwanted pregnancies and because of those students or teenagers

that are curious about sex and that is the reason why they are leading in becoming teenage

parents.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

General Objectives:

What are the impacts of being Teenage Parents?

Specific Objectives:

1. What are your plans after having a baby at a young age?

2. How do you manage your financial stability as a Teenage Parent?

3. How do you handle the pressure of saying that you’re pregnant?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research is made with the aim to provide crucial information, and knowledge

regarding the impact of teenage pregnancy to a student. This study will be conducted to find

out the impacts of pregnancy to the students and how they manage their school and life

responsibilities. The result of this study is beneficial to students, teens, parents, teachers, the

community, and to other individuals who are interested in this topic.

This study will benefit students who are still at school because it will give them

information about the effect of teenage pregnancy on their studies. This research will guide
them to know their responsibilities and priorities as a student rather than focusing on their

romantic relationship with their partners.

It is beneficial to teens because they will get to know what is the right thing to do and

not to do. This study provides information for teens to know what are the possible effects of

early pregnancy to the body of teens.

This study will also benefit parents to enable them to realize their role as a parent in

educating their child, their impact on their children. Protecting and indulging early sex

especially if without marriage. Parents should also know who's the partner of their child.

This study is beneficial to teachers for them to know the importance of sex education to

the students. Them being a teacher plays a big role educating teens, students listen to what the

teacher says because they believe that it is true. Proper sex education can help reduce the case

of teenage pregnancy.

This study is also beneficial to the community, they will know what's the effect of

teenage pregnancy on the local population and environment. This is for them to know what

proper things they need to do to educate the people around their community.

This study is also beneficial to other individuals; teens or not. This study provided the

importance of safe sex. It can be an eye opener for them to think again if they want to have a

baby in the given circumstances.

 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

This study focuses on Montalban Rizal, where to interview the people who experience

teenage pregnancy. The study is conducted during the months of October to December 2022.

The researchers will modify the questionnaires and organize them in a survey form, and

researchers will interview them. The age of the participants ranged from 13-19 years of age.

The study focuses on the impacts of teenage pregnancy on their academic performances. This

also aims to know what they are experiencing, and how they manage their life and school

responsibilities.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The theories that underpin this study's methodology attempt to reduce the amount of

unhealthy sexual behavior among young girls who are pregnant or have children. To

encourage younger girls to engage in safer premarital activity, numerous treatments have

been developed.

However, fewer than expected have succeeded, in part as a result of the paucity of

theoretically grounded programs and structures (Wright, Abraham, & Scott, 1998). Basic

social science studies can provide insight into the causes and management of improper sexual

conduct. Without taking this into account when designing behavior change programs, the

latter are not likely to focus on the key factors that influence young people's behavior and

won't likely be successful (Wright et al., 1998). Wright et al. (1998) assert that initiatives

whose objective is to prevent teen pregnancy must be implemented. Since the goal of this

study was to determine which theories were most effective in promoting sexual health, the
theoretical framework was purposefully eclectic, mixing social psychological cognitive

models with sociological interpretations. Social influences on sexual activities are first taken

into consideration, then the ways in which these affect individuals' perspectives and beliefs.

Theoretical understanding of sexual contact and the social settings of sexual activity

among young females is crucial for educators to acquire. The features of the participants and

what happens during sexual encounters are mostly a result of the interaction that occurs and

the context in which the encounter occurs.

Relationship education programs must take into account program participants'

knowledge, cognition targeting, and social skill development (Wright et al., 1998). The social

cognitive model investigates how representations of social events, society and cultural

standards, and individual characteristics influence mental processes such as action, reasoning,

emotion, and motivation. The technique focuses on recognition, personal and social goals,

mental pictures of oneself and others, and the role of social facilitation in judgment, memory,

and decision-making (Bandura, 1986, 1992).

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
 CHAPTER II

(REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE)

In this chapter of the research, it composes the ideas and purposes that are related with

the study of understanding the impacts of teenage pregnancy.

This research on teenage pregnancy was conducted with the help of these linked

studies and literature, which provided evaluation and enrichment.

-RELATED LITERATURE-

The adolescent must make several decisions and needs reliable information on subjects

including physical changes, sexual activity, and emotional reactions to personal relationships,

STDs and Pregnancy. In the United States 70% of adolescents have had sexual intercourse by

the age of 18 (Kenney et al, 1998). Teens tend to do things they’ve never done before and out

of curiosity they do things they’re not supposed to. The principles of sexual risk are not yet

fully understood, but numerous studies have found correlations between unsafe sex,

alcohol/drug use and sexual abuse. (Keller et al. 2001; Kenney et al,2000). Adolescents tend

to have a sense of being invulnerable, believing that unwanted pregnancy;STD’s and other

negative outcomes of sexual behavior are not likely to happen to them (Keller et al, 2000).
 Different obstacles affect adolescent parents. It has been acknowledged, in Spivak's

words, that adolescent parents usually come from high-risk households, struggle in school,

and live in our most underprivileged communities; as a result, biological, economic, and

behavioral factors contribute to the increased likelihood of adolescent parents having children

who are vulnerable to physical and developmental problems”. Adolescents also have a lot of

trouble transitioning to parenthood and exhibit a variety of poor parenting behaviors, some of

which are highly resistant to change while others have ramifications for programs, policies,

and the clinical world. Teenage parents confront numerous obstacles to achieving economic

and social success, which has an impact on the environment in which their children are

raised.

A study on the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines by Salvadoret al.

(2016) resulted in the conclusion that the overall proposition evolves with the essence of

‘health education’. This serves as an "eye opener" to encourage people to get involved in

raising public awareness, designing, implementing, and evaluating programs that would

promote sustainable development. Active involvement is a prerequisite to success. To fully

inform students about the effects and drawbacks of early pregnancy, sex education should be

included in the intermediate and secondary school curricula as soon as practicable. The said

study also recommended promotion of sex education as early as possible to prevent the

detrimental effects of teenage pregnancy. As per data, most pregnant minors in the

Philippines are between the ages of 17 and 19. They lived with their mothers, fathers, or other

family members. In most situations, the child's father is a teenage boy. Teenagers may

become pregnant for a variety of reasons, including: peer pressure, unexpected sexual

encounters ("getting caught up in the moment"), and a lack of lack of access to youth-friendly
clinics, the dissolution of families, the absence of positive female role models in the home,

and the lack of education on safe sex are all problems.

According to the study "Lack of Parental Guidance Contributes to Teen Pregnancy,"

states that most people evade their children from talking about sex. In some cases, they

provide false information regarding sex and discourage their children from participating in

any informative discussion about sex. Also, teenage mothers are not well educated about sex

before getting pregnant and thus this leads to lack of communication between the parents and

their children (Hoffman 2004). A lot of study on the factors influencing adolescent sexual

behavior was conducted on an individual basis, looking at the impact of the teenagers' own

physical and psychological traits. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in

contextual variables, or elements of the surroundings that youth are a part of, like the

community and their schools. These studies have repeatedly discovered that a teen's

neighborhood has an impact on their sexual behavior. Teenagers are more likely to start

having sex at a young age and get pregnant if they reside in areas with more social disarray

and lower economic resources. Teenage sexual behavior is correlated with the adult

population's income, unemployment rate, and educational attainment. (2010) Cessane

Some would argue that these youngsters' pregnancies are just the outcome of satisfying

their sexual cravings. If research had taken precedence over relationships between people of

the opposite sex, that pregnancy would not have happened. that there wouldn't be a

pregnancy if there wasn't premarital sex (PMS). Members immediately accuse these

youngsters of being guilty due to their "Low Level of Religious Commitment," which may

have caused them to prioritize their relationships with people of the opposite sex.
 Berrington (2013) contends that initiatives aimed at reducing adult health inequalities

must address socioeconomic disadvantages throughout the life course and use a life-long

strategy. Childhood poverty is a substantial independent pathway that leads to a higher

prevalence of both mental and general ill health in adulthood. The poor mental health of

adolescent mothers has ramifications for the following generation, contributing to the transfer

of disadvantage across generations.

According to Torivillas (2013) of The Philippine Star, there is evidence to support the

mandate under the reproductive health law that young schools get sexuality education. Not so

much to teach the kids how to have "safe" sex as it is to explain why they shouldn't have sex

too soon, even before marriage. The young are taught about sex and pregnancy, both planned

and unforeseen, through supervised sexuality education rather than the internet or

pornographic publications, which nonetheless reach them. Examine their rooms for adult-

only films on the internet, as well as secret copies of Playboy, Penthouse, and other sexual

periodicals.

The number of sexually active girlfriends was found to be positively correlated with

permissive sexual attitudes, future plans for sexual engagement, and non-marital childbirth by

Fernandez (2001), who surveyed minority adolescents. There is also an effect from additional

risky behaviors. A teen is more likely to start having sexual relationships at a young age if

their companions are not involved in school, have low grades, abuse drugs, or conduct in a

delinquent manner. It's interesting to note that peer influence on adolescent sexual activity

comes from both actual peer behavior and assumptions about peer behavior.
 According to Natividad (2013), there is a trend for younger people to change the norms

and practices regarding premarital sexual activities in which premarital sex is becoming more

acceptable and there is less societal pressure to get marry. According to YASF4, which

concurs, the rise in teen pregnancies is a result of the new social media age, in which younger

generations are more active and interested, which encourages them to engage in sexual

activity. Moreover, Teenagers' sexual preferences are switching from traditional to new

media, with 25% of them receiving or sending sex films via their mobile devices or the

internet.

(As quoted by Gumban et al., 2016).

Singson (2008) highlighted figures in the Philippines showing that each year, about 1

million young women, or 10% of all women aged 15 and older, are 15-19 and 19 percent of

those who have had sexual intercourse become pregnant and one-fourth of teenage mothers

have a second child within two years of their first. In comparison to public high school

students, Dela Cruz (2002) asserted that Catholic high school students were less sexually

active and less likely to have engaged in premarital sex. In college, male students who did not

join a fraternity were less likely to have sex than those who did. Similarly, the religiously

non-sorority female students were less likely to engage in sex than sorority students. It is

believed that peer pressure may have overpowered the effects of religious beliefs in the

students. While in the Philippines, based on the 2002 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality

Study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) and the Demographic

Research and Development Foundation, 26 percent of Filipino youth nationwide from ages

15 to 25 admitted to having a premarital sex experience. And 38 percent of the youth are

already in a live-in arrangement.

Teenage pregnancy is unlike any other problem in the world, despite the fact that it seems to

be a prevalent worry, it does not appear to upset individuals all that much. Not until they

experience the problem themselves or until they finally grasp how many people it has been

affecting and how slowly it has progressed to an unhealthy degree, or both, the fact that it has

already impacted too many lives and facets of living. Crystal’s (2001) study on factors

associated with sexual behavior among adolescents asserted that sexual behavior depends

largely on societal constrictions and the level of cultural permissiveness, which dictates

the modes of sexual practices. Biological determinants have their role in people's

sexual behavior, the agents of socialization. Such as families, peers, religious

institutions.

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

In this chapter we will talk about the research method, sampling technique, and

research instrument we will use to give the respondent their freedom to talk about the certain

issue we want to address which is all about Teenage Pregnancy.

METHOD OF RESEARCH

In response to the aforementioned query, the researcher came to a decision to use an

interview type, based on the approach method to be specific. We researchers think that in

using this method the respondents will be able to express themselves without limiting their

words and feeling an impairment. In this way they can freely talk about their experience and

opinion regarding the said topic and at the same time the researcher is able to get the

information and suggestions they need, As it gives respondents the opportunity to express
their opinions regarding specific research questions. By using an interview method, they are

not restrained from speaking about their feelings regarding the issues.

In the way this research is going to be, we ended up using a purposive technique for the

sampling technique. As it allows the respondent to give much detailed information about

themselves and their situations in life without limiting themself in order to give the

information the researcher needs.

The research design that will be used in this study is Phenomenological Research

Design; This study focuses on Phenomenology which best caters the live experiences of the

participants in regard to how they face the problem. This can also obtain opinions about

existing conditions or significant relationships, effects or impacts among current phenomena

(Salvador et. al..,2008). The aim of this study is to understand what they are going through

and how they balance their commitments in life and at school.

Respondents

RESPONDENTS PROFILE

In conducting this research, the researcher determined the following respondents to be

Interviewed. The researcher has decided to interview a total of 15 Teenage Parents.

Below are the specific respondent’s profiles for the respondents interviewed:

Interviewed

Gender: Female

Ages: 18 to 22 years old

Occupation: Student, Teenage Parent

Data Gathering Procedures

The researcher will simultaneously conduct an online interview with 15 respondents

who are both students and Teenage Parents. The process is carried out via Facebook

conversation and responses to the Google forms supplied to the kind respondents. This

method of interviewing will enable the researcher to quickly obtain responses and

information from respondents that will aid in addressing the problem's stated question.

CHAPTER IV

DATA AND ANALYSIS

The findings gathered from this research will be further explored in this chapter. The

conclusions based on the methodologies applied as in the previous chapter will be presented

in this chapter. The group will discuss the respondent’s perspectives on the chosen topic,

teenage pregnancy, based on the results of a study.

I. THE INTERVIEW GUIDE

General: What are the impacts of being teenage parents?

Specific: 1. What are your plans after having a baby at a young age?

2. How do you manage your financial stability as a teenage parent?

3. How do you handle the pressure of saying that you’re pregnant?

• in order to accomplish our research that mainly focus on the impacts of Teenage

Pregnancy to those teenagers that are still studying. Also, to get some accurate data and more

insights about teenage pregnancy.

• To present the population or the number of teenage pregnancy percentage.

• To give a highly solution and recommendation about this research topic.

II. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY

This table displays all of the results and responses provided by each participant in

response to each of the questions used by the researchers to collect their data.

What are your plans after having a baby at a young age?

1st respondents To continue my studies if I can, then to prove that I can still

Anne Kyla Baldon (18) achieve my dreams even though I have a baby

2nd respondents Taking a rest maybe 3-5 months and going to find a job

Catherine Joy Y. Doliente (19)

3rd respondents To give all my son needs.

Jamee Cervera (20)

4th respondents As of now, I am studying, then after I graduate from senior

Nica Madjos (18) high school, I plan to work

5th respondents To have a work after I graduated

Sofia Chaslyne Sabio (18)

6th respondents I simply plan to have a financially stable life with my son.

Danna Denise M. Delgado (19)

7th respondents I am still studying to graduate so that I can have a better job
 Irish Morales (18) to give my child a better life.

8th respondents Before I gave birth to my son all I want is to give him time

Winda Mikaella Santos (22) and focus to him, and after his father and I broke up, my

focus now is to finish college and get better job.

9th respondents I'm planning on taking care of my baby.

Leechell Mesa (19)

10th respondents Even if I got him at a young age, I still want to enjoy my life

Cyill Francisco (18) with my baby and just continue pursuing my dream as long

as I can also be a good mother at a young age.

DHow do you manage your financial stability as a Teenage Parent?

1st respondents First and foremost, I always Buy necessary things like Milk

Anne Kyla Baldon (18) and diapers, but I'm also a breastfeeding mom. Then I budget

our daily needs like food.

2nd respondents I do some modules, tutor my cousins and my neighbors so I

Catherine Joy Y. Doliente can buy and manage to supply my financial needs.

(19)

3rd respondents Hindi naman masyadong mahirap dahil nakikitira kami sa side

Jamee Cervera (20) ng partner ko.

 4th respondents It's hard because sometimes there's not enough money, almost

Nica Madjos (18) only diapers and milk

5th respondents My partner is working

Sofia Chaslyne Sabio (18)

6th respondents I handle it well,since I already have a job to pay my bills and

Danna Denise M. Delgado to support my son's needs.

(19)

7th respondents I always prioritize my baby's needs over what I want so that

Irish Morales (18) even if I'm not financially stable, I can still give what my

child needs.

8th respondents I have part time work.

Winda Mikaella Santos (22)

9th respondents I have savings.

Leechell Mesa (19)

10th respondents I need to. Even if my boyfriend has a job, our parents still

Cyill Francisco (18) support us if we are low on budget.

How do you handle the pressure of saying that you're pregnant?

1st respondents I was actually nervous to tell that time, but of course my

Anne Kyla Baldon (18) partner didn't leave me. We face our parents with respect.

2nd respondents Actually, my mom literally found it out on her own because
 I don't even have any idea about the pregnancy signs.

Catherine Joy Y. Doliente (19)

3rd respondents Hindi naman mahirap aminin dahil 3 years kami naging mag

Jamee Cervera (20) boyfriend ng partner ko before ako nabuntis. Kaya hindi

masyadong naging mahirap.

4th respondents First, I didn't really tell my parents about the pregnancy and

Nica Madjos (18) others, so what happened made me even more angry.

5th respondents So many in denial, the pressure of how will I keep hiding it.

Sofia Chaslyne Sabio (18)

6th respondents During that time, I don't feel anything negative, I'm so

Danna Denise M. Delgado (19) grateful for what's going on in my life, and I adopt it as a

blessing from God.

7th respondents I knew that they would be disappointed but I still kept

Irish Morales (18) myself calm because too much pressure couldn't help me to

speak clearly.

8th respondents I told my parents via chat only, because they’re not around

Winda Mikaella Santos (22) while I’m pregnant, that's why I have the guts to tell them

9th respondents I told mama right away. I told her I'm pregnant.

Leechell Mesa (19)

 10th respondents It's not easy. It takes 4 or 5 months for them to know that i'm

Cyill Francisco (18) pregnant. At first, they are disappointed, which I understand

but it changes eventually.

III. CONCLUSION

From the results, most of the respondents stated that they want to give their child needs

while they are studying since most of the respondents want to give their child a financially

stable life and still continue from pursuing the dream life they want. Working as a part timer

is one of the solutions of our respondents while the others are still depending on their own

partner or their parents for the needs of their own baby. In fighting the pressure of telling

their parents that they are pregnant, nervous feelings eat them up first since they do not know

how their parents will react if they heard the news, most of them hide their situation for

almost a month before telling their parents the struggle they are facing but still the pressure of

them telling their situation was worth it after all.

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS

In conducting this study, the group would like to recommend that for further research

such as this, other researchers must focus on the rate case of the Teenage Pregnancy in the

country and also consider the specific place. Searching for the respondents is not easy so the

other researcher must consider and be mindful using this topic. Sex education and awareness

are also an important factor in this research for giving some knowledge on how to prevent

early pregnancy and as well as proper parental guidance.

 Before beginning this research topic, do some background research to get yourself

mentally ready for the critical situation. If you're investigating this issue, be prepared for the

unexpected. This subject is not a joke, so keep an open mind. Always be aware of every

detail of this study.