Pregnant adolescent reflections of parental communication

The purpose of this study is to describe reflections of parental communication from the perspective of pregnant adolescents prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy. This qualitative design, using grounded theory methodology and semistructured interviews collected data from a convenience sample of predominantly Hispanic adolescent women (n = 30) in 4 settings. Participants were recruited from 3 area clinics and a transitional high school in California. The findings identified 7 themes from the interview data to support the adolescent perceptions of poor communication and unstable relationships with parents prior to the pregnancy and difficulty in communicating about the pregnancy to parents. Most participants identified a significant improvement in relationships and communication when pregnancy occurred. It is important for nurses to incorporate family communication strategies in their adolescent health interventions to help decrease the adolescent pregnancy rate.