Teenage pregnancy: Seeking patterns that promote family harmony

Adolescent pregnancy remains a problem of epidemic proportions with no signs of abatement. Three developmental factors increase the risk of an adolescent's pregnancy: 1) psychosocial factors promote a need to assert independence from parents; 2) the teenager's cognitive orientation interferes with her ability to predict long-term outcomes; and 3) the psychological effects of family discord may be enacted through teenage pregnancy. Previewing, an innovative strategy, may be applied to help the adolescent adjust to developmental vicissitudes. Derived from early life caregiver-infant interaction, previewing encourages the adolescent to represent and predict the interpersonal outcomes of her behaviors. The application of previewing to a case involving a teenager with a recalcitrant pregnancy wish is discussed. Specific guidelines for applying this intervention within the family context are provided.