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This article reviews the literature in the area of parental and maternal influences on contraceptive decision making, thus determining future directions of research and potential interventions. A review of published literature using PubMed, CINAHL, Infotrak, Science and Technology, and Medline spanning 1980-2007 was used to gather information. Results from 35 research studies and 15 scholarly articles were included. The search terms adolescent decision making, maternal influences on adolescent contraceptive decision making, adolescent contraceptive decision making, paternal influences on adolescent decision making, and contraception were used to gather data. The literature reveals there is an association between parental communication, parenting style, and adolescent sexual activity and contraception use. Maternal communication has been shown to delay sexual intercourse and increase contraceptive use. Maternal communication has rich potential as an intervention to impact positive adolescent sexual decision making and contraception use. Gaps in the research identified were the lack of studies on the influences on parenting style and the father/adolescent influences on sexual initiation and contraceptive decision making.
The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is one of the highest in the western world (Dangal, 2006). An estimated 78% of these pregnancies are unintended (Guttmacher, 2004) and result in costs of up to 7 billion dollars annually in the U.S. (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2005). The teen birth rate declined 33% between 1991 and 2003; however, it has increased 3% between 2005-2006 and 5% between 2006-2007 (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2008). Each year in the U.S., 750,000 adolescents 19 years of age or younger become pregnant. Approximately 34% of adolescent pregnancies in the U.S. result in abortion, while 57% result in live births, (Guttmacher, 2006).
In the U.S., 45.3% of female and 48% of male adolescents between 15 to 19 years of age have had intercourse (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2005). The average age of first intercourse in the U.S. has decreased to age 17 for females and age 16 for males. Approximately one-fourth of adolescents have reported they had intercourse prior to age 15 (Dangal, 2006). Despite the number of safe, effective contraceptive methods available, pregnancy among teenagers is still prevalent. These consistent high rates of adolescent pregnancies in the U.S. continue to generate public concern because adolescent...