Attachment and idealization of pregnancy and parenting, attitudes towards pregnancy and parenting readiness among school-going female teenagers

Abstract

Recent research has established that teenagers have the means to prevent pregnancy but many do not necessarily use them, because they are open to the idea of becoming pregnant, or have a desire to parent their own child. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between attachment and teenagers’ desire of becoming pregnant and parenting a child. The sample of the study, selected through convenience sampling, comprised 455, 14 and 15 year old registered female learners from selected urban and rural high schools in Mopani District, Limpopo Province. Findings from structural equation modeling indicate that both mother and father attachment do not influence teenagers’ idealization about pregnancy and parenting. Mother trust had a statistically significant relationship with attitudes towards pregnancy. Trust for both mother and father also had a significant relationship with parental readiness. Alienation to mother had a significant association with teenagers preparedness to become parents. Socio-economic status was found to be associated with teenagers’ idealization of pregnancy and their report of being physically and emotionally ready to become parents. This study has found a relationship between the Trust and Alienation dimensions of attachment with attitudes towards pregnancy and parental readiness. Key words: Attachment; socio-economic status; pregnancy; idealization; parental readiness