A narrative review of the literature on unintended adolescent pregnancies: Understanding their meaning, associated factors, and consequences

Abstract

Every year, more than two million girls below the age of 15 become pregnant in low- and middle-income countries, and these pregnancies are more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, increasing maternal mortality and morbidity. Therefore, the objective of this narrative review of the literature was to present a detailed understanding of unintended adolescent pregnancies and explore the factors associated with these pregnancies, their consequences, and any gaps identified in the extant literature. The review included 19 articles accessed and retrieved from a variety of databases, namely: PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, CINAHL, Western Libraries Catalogue, and Google Scholar. This review notes that adolescent pregnancies are primarily perceived to be social problems related to misconduct and delinquency, and across cultures, adolescent pregnancies are interpreted differently and given various meanings. The results of the review indicate that most unintended adolescent pregnancies are attributable to caused by a lack of sexual reproductive knowledge, and the effects of cultural factors such as limitations on open discussions between parents and children. Among the consequences of adolescent pregnancy included emotional trauma, social embarrassment, school dropout, and poverty. This narrative review highlights the need of exploring the issue of unintended adolescent pregnancies through a more comprehensive, multi-dimensional, and local perspective. By exploring the cultural, social, and political dimensions at the local context level, such approach can foster meaningful social and political changes, advocacy, and emancipation.