Differential characteristics of adolescent pregnancy test patients: abortion, childbearing and negative test groups

Studies of the consequences of adolescent childbearing report many negative sequelae, but the effects of induced abortion are less studied, and most studies lack appropriate controls for preexisting characteristics. This paper uses baseline data from the intake interview into a longitudinal study of 360 innercity black women (less than or equal to 17 years old) presenting for a pregnancy test at two sites in Baltimore to examine baseline differences between three groups: young women who terminated the index pregnancy and, as controls, those who carried to term and those whose tests were negative. They were interviewed before being told the test result. Education aspirations/achievement, economic well-being, sexual/contraceptive history, psychologic characteristics, and desire for a child were compared. Negative test patients often reveal characteristics suggesting a particularly high risk of pregnancy, e.g., more prior pregnancy tests and a greater desire to conceive. Implications are discussed, emphasizing the need to intervene after a negative pregnancy test with counseling to help avert a future undesired conception.