| Being a teenager is a troubling time. While | | | | reasons.In the good news department, the |
| adjusting to all the changes going on both in | | | | number of teen pregnancies occurring in the |
| your biology and your responsibilities, | | | | United States has been declining since the |
| making the right decisions can be hard when | | | | early nineties. These decreases are found |
| it comes to topics such as relationships. In | | | | across the board, with age, marital status, |
| this article, we'll offer some statistics | | | | and ethnicity not being a significant factor |
| regarding teenage relationships so that you | | | | in the decrease, representing a uniform drop. |
| can better understand exactly what's in store | | | | Studies show that this drop in teen pregnancy |
| for the average teenager who is dating.While | | | | can be due to the greater use of |
| domestic violence is a terrible aspect of | | | | contraceptives by teens. Lowered rates of |
| adult relationships, few adults realize that | | | | sexual activity amongst adolescents also are |
| this problem also occurs in their sons and | | | | a factor in the declining rate. However, the |
| daughters. A study conducted by "Children | | | | teen pregnancy rate in the United States is |
| Now" in 1995 saw that a full 89 percent of | | | | still one of the highest rates in any |
| teens have been in dating relationships and a | | | | industrialized nation. The use of |
| whopping 40 percent of all teenagers know | | | | contraceptives needs to be encouraged by all |
| someone their age that was beaten or abused | | | | parties, regardless of religion or creed. If |
| by a boyfriend in a relationship. This is a | | | | a teenager has sex unprotected, they run a |
| serious problem that every parent needs to | | | | risk of getting pregnant that is |
| watch out for to ensure the health and safety | | | | approximately 90%.One aspect of teenage |
| of their children. Another study, conducted | | | | pregnancy that is frightening is the number |
| by Silverman, Raj, Mucci and Hathaway in 2001 | | | | of adult males that are having sexual |
| showed that young women who were in | | | | relationships with teenage females. In cases |
| relationships that involved violence were | | | | where a girl aged 15 to 17 gets pregnant, |
| more likely to abuse substances, develop | | | | over 50% of the time, an adult male is the |
| eating disorders, conduct risky sexual | | | | father. A study conducted in California |
| behaviors, get pregnant, and even commit | | | | showed that seven out of ten teenage births |
| suicide. As you can see, domestic violence in | | | | were caused by men aged twenty or above. |
| teenagers is very worrisome for a host of | | | | |