research: social and protective factors

Social Environments

Many social systems influence the lives and behaviors of teens.

When investigating the "whys" of teen pregnancy, researchers know to look beyond individual characteristics. Research shows that every aspect of every social system - family, friends, school and community - plays a role.

Social systems can have a subtle or direct impact by:

• Emphasizing particular beliefs and norms, modeling certain behaviors
• Providing opportunities to practice a particular behavior
• Applying pressure to engage or not engage in specific behaviors

Risk and Protective Factors

Given the complex environment in which teens live, it is not surprising that many factors in their lives - both positive and negative - are linked to teen pregnancy. Researchers generally examine these in terms of "risk" and "protective" factors.

Risk factors raise the odds that a young person will become pregnant. While these factors alone don't cause or guarantee pregnancy, they do identify a youth at risk. Protective factors have a positive influence. They provide a buffer against or moderate hazards and stress.

Protective factors don't eliminate risk, they moderate it. Risk and protective factors can be subtle or direct, obvious or counter intuitive. For example, strong parental disapproval of sex is noted as a protective factor. Yet positive parental attitudes about contraceptives are also shown to be protective. The conclusion: parents play an important role in preventing teen pregnancy.