Teenage Pregnancy and Drug Abuse
- Background
Drug abuse has long been a problem of significant concern for communities and healthcare professionals. However, in recent years drug abuse has birthed a new and even more concerning issue that is teenage pregnancy. The prevalence of drug use among teenagers results in high rates of risky sexual behaviour that contribute to a significant percentage of adolescent pregnancies. Inner-city communities identify well with this problem. Teenagers living in these communities have limited access to school-based or community-based education programs that increase their sexual health literacy, and access to basic healthcare is scarce. Teenage pregnancy and drug abuse pose critical health problems to the affected population and adds to the strain for healthcare professionals to deliver healthcare. The rise in cases of teenage pregnancies and drug abuse requires collaborative interventions because they educate the teenagers on the possible effects of drug abuse and risky sexual behaviour and prevent a continuous increase in these problems.
- Clinical Problem Statement
Drug abuse and teenage pregnancies worry parents, teenagers, healthcare professionals, educators, and the government. Considering that these problems only lead to critical issues that increase the health risk for the young people, government and community agencies dedicate their resources to the alleviation of these challenges. Teenage pregnancy and drug abuse lead to a myriad of social and health issues that cause severe harm or even death. Studying this topic is significant because it helps illuminate the crisis of drug abuse among teenagers and the rising cases of teenage pregnancies; it also kickstarts the development of intervention strategies that can efficiently reduce the prevalence and educate young people.
- Purpose of the Change Proposal
This change proposal primarily aims to establish the causes of drug abuse and teenage pregnancy in inner-city communities. It recognizes the community make-up of inner-city communities and the increased poverty and population rates that propagate drug use and adolescent pregnancies. These objectives open a gateway for healthcare professionals and communities to collaborate in coming up with intervention strategies. This proposal also provides insight into the different education strategies that sensitize young people on the risks of teenage pregnancies and drug abuse. Identifying these programs helps nurses disseminate appropriate education or healthcare interventions for adolescent patients and adds to the service delivery chart in a continuously changing need for specific healthcare services.
- PICOT Question
Do teenagers at risk for drug use and teenage pregnancies who have access to health education programs in comparison to those who lack such intervention programs have fewer instances of drug use and adolescent pregnancies?
- Literature Search Strategy employed.
The main search strategy used in developing the literature review is the database search method. The database method was appropriate as it helped narrow down to studies relevant to medical care and nursing. Searching through the vast available scholarly articles in databases such as PubMed and journals of adolescent health identified related research articles that inform on the country’s drug abuse situation, teenage pregnancy, and appropriate intervention programs with varying degrees of effectiveness.
- Evaluation of Literature
Many researchers carry out independent studies that differentiate the prevalence of teenage pregnancy and teenage drug use and abuse. A large number of studies recommend possible intervention strategies that work to improve the situation surrounding teenage pregnancy and drug abuse. In a meta-analysis of the literature to identify factors that influence repeated teenage pregnancies, Maravilla et al. identify limited contraceptive use, low education levels, history of abortion, and drug use to be high predictors of repeated teenage pregnancy (Maravilla et al., 2017). The factors not only point to the causation of subsequent teenage pregnancies but also the first incidences. In a population of high school girls ages twelve to fifteen, Cavazos-rehg et al. found out that substance use among teenagers contributed to increased risk in reckless sexual behaviour that resulted in unplanned teenage pregnancies (Cavazos-rehg et al., 2011). The researchers recommend screening for substance use behaviour to act as preventive strategies that avert drug abuse and reduce the risk for teenage pregnancies.
Evidence points to the interaction of different factors that increase the use of drugs among teenagers and the prevalence of teenage pregnancies. Hendrick et al. carried out a longitudinal study involving adolescents aged twelve to eighteen that identified biological and social factors that contributed to adolescent childbearing. They identified factors such as early menarche, sexual debut, great substance use and early development for the girls that evidence the occurrence of teenage pregnancies (Hendrick et al., 2017). The researchers recommend comprehensive sexual education in the United States school curriculums to provide relevant resources to prevent unwanted pregnancies and avert drug abuse. According to Salam et al., intervention strategies such as drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation, appropriate sexual education, modification of sexually risky behaviour, and treatment and management of STIs are suitable to improve the situational crisis caused by the problem (Salam et al., 2016). Implementing these strategies through schools, communities and healthcare professionals helps reduce the prevalence of teenage childbearing and drug use among teenagers. Increased knowledge for young people ultimately prevents the progression of such problems into adulthood. The literature informs that teenagers who have access to education and sensitization programs have lower risks of involving themselves in drug abuse behaviour or risky sexual behaviour that leads to early unwanted pregnancies.
- Applicable Change/Nursing Theory Utilized
Implementing a change program requires healthcare professionals to follow a complicated and progressive set of steps to ensure its success. Lippitt’s theory proposes seven phases that guarantee the success of any change program (Mitchell et al., 2013). Identifying the problem, teenage pregnancy, and drug abuse jumpstart the change process. The agents involved then assess their motivation and capacity for change by identifying the willingness of inner-city communities in recognizing the problem and perceptions for change. The fourth and fifth phases involve identifying particular objectives, identifying the causes of drug abuse and teenage pregnancy, and the intervention strategies to offset the problems. The theory gives the agents time to assess, plan, implement and evaluate the proposed interventions.
- Proposed Implementation plan with Outcome measures.
Teenage pregnancies and drug abuse are preventable programs dealt with through programs that inform and help to manage the already existing cases. There needs to be curriculum-based education and community-based sensitization programs that help disseminate information on the effects of drug abuse and healthcare provisions for those who abuse (Salam et al. 2016). The education intervention program will also play a part in helping already affected teenagers access appropriate healthcare to prevent progression or fallback to the same habits once they have received help. Sexual education and access to proper preventive and curative interventions reduce the risk of drug abuse and unwanted teen pregnancies.
- Discussion of Evidence-Based Practices.
Observing previous studies informed the intervention plan by identifying a lack of education as one of the consistent factors that contribute to drug use and teenage pregnancies. Findings from the studies show a significant knowledge difference between teen girls who have had sexual experiences and those who have not (Cavazos-rehg et al., 2011). The community and curriculum-based intervention plan resulted from the evident lack of sexual health education among teenagers. Researchers also recommended appropriate informative programs for teenagers to learn about risky sexual behaviour that prevents the instances of unwanted pregnancies and access healthcare preventive and curative programs for drug abuse.
- Evaluation plan for the Nursing Intervention.
Evaluation of change programs ensures they achieve the set objectives and elicit the desired change. The intervention plan for the nursing intervention will be an on-going collection of information to check the progression of the intended change. On-going observations will reveal the number of adolescents accessing sexual health education, adolescents accessing healthcare for drug-related health issues, and instances of teenage pregnancies.
- Potential barriers and How to Overcome Them.
An account for potential barriers is crucial to the implementation and success of intervention programs for teenage pregnancy and drug abuse. For example, increased availability of drugs in schools and easy access for teenagers works against the drive to reduce drug abuse among adolescents (Cavazos-rehg et al., 2011). Children living in urban areas are exposed to open drug trade, and many of their parents and siblings participate in drug use and abuse. Exposure to drugs and drug users opens up opportunities for early sexual involvement. The availability of drugs and easy access allows teenagers to experiment and ultimately get fully involved in drug abuse. Another potential barrier is the buildup of situational factors that complicate the situation. According to Salam et al. (2016), complicating factors such as poverty, restricted access to healthcare, and the absence of support in their families reduce the efficiency of intervention plans. Teenagers negotiate a life period that requires them to find responsibility and purpose for their being. The situational factors bombarding them may cause stress for the adolescents that predispose them to unsuitable coping tactics. Many teenagers find the appeal in drugs as a coping mechanism for the troubles they face in the negotiation between childhood and adulthood.
The barriers point to the need for prerequisite measures that alleviate possible factors that may cause problems for future interventions. Putting in place measures that improve the adolescents’ home environments reduces the incidences of exposure to drugs and, in due course, reduces the risk for continued drug use. There is also a need for familial education programs that advise parents and other siblings on the effects of drugs and the availability of programs that help affected families. Improving home and social environments pave the way for interventions targeting teenagers to successfully change perceptions and eventually reduce instances of teenage drug abuse and pregnancies.
References
Cavazos-Rehg, P. A., Krauss, M. J., Spitznagel, E. L., Schootman, M., Cottler, L. B., & Bierut, L. J. (2011). Substance use and the risk for sexual intercourse with and without a history of teenage pregnancy among adolescent females. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 72(2), 194-198.
Hendrick, C. E., Cance, J. D., & Maslowsky, J. (2016). Peer and individual risk factors in adolescence explaining the relationship between girls’ pubertal timing and teenage childbearing. Journal of youth and adolescence, 45(5), 916-927.
Maravilla, J. C., Betts, K. S., e Cruz, C. C., & Alati, R. (2017). Factors influencing repeated teenage pregnancy: a review and meta-analysis. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 217(5), 527-545.
Mitchell, G. (2013). Selecting the best theory to implement planned change. Nursing Management, 20(1).
Salam, R. A., Das, J. K., Lassi, Z. S. & Bhutta, Z. A. (2016). Adolescent health and well-being: Background and methodology for review of potential interventions. Journal of adolescent health, 59(4), S4-S10.