Factores familiares que inciden en el embarazo adolescente en América Latina

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancy occurs between early and late adolescence, between 10 and 21 years of age, where several risk factors in the family environment are evident since the family is the first agent protecting, molding, and building a pillar that sculpts the development of adolescents, both psychologically and socially; thus, if the adolescent grows up in a dysfunctional family environment, the adolescent will have a high risk of engaging in early sexual activity, which could lead to pregnancy at an early age. Therefore, this research aims to determine the psychosocial factors in the family environment that influence adolescent pregnancy in Latin America. The research approach is descriptive qualitative literature research using a sample of 10 scientific articles from different indexed journals covering all the selection criteria. Analyzing each of the articles, it was found that the psychological factor that has the most significant impact on adolescent pregnancy is family dysfunction. Furthermore, regarding social factors, it is evident that parents' lack of sex education is the most influential factor in this problem. Therefore, it is concluded that the family plays an essential role in early pregnancy, which has become a public health concern, especially regarding mental health. Consequently, it is recommended that prevention and support policies and programs for adolescents be developed in conjunction with families.