Teen Pregnancy
The US has made remarkable progress in reducing teen pregnancy and birth rates over the past decade-teen pregnancy is down 28% and teen birth rates have declined by one-third. Yet more needs to be done. Too many teens are still getting pregnant and becoming young parents. One in three girls still become pregnant by age 20 and half of all first out-of-wedlock births are to teenagers. One out of five teen births is repeat births. Such high levels of teen pregnancy not only disrupt the lives of teens themselves; they also contribute to the persistence of maternal and child poverty, father absence and diminished life prospects for the children who are born to teenagers.
WHAT IS RELATIONSHIP ABUSE?
Relationship abuse is the use of intimidation and/or forces by one person in a relationship over the other. It can include any form of verbal, emotional, mental, physical and/or sexual abuse or violence, and happens in both heterosexual and same- sex relationships. In an abusive relationship it is not unusual for the abuser to express remorse after a violent outburst and then ask forgiveness, promising that “it will never happen again.”
Unfortunately, it usually does.
The negotiation of romantic relationships
We believe a behavioural systems approach to adolescent romantic relationships permits an examination of some of the major functions that communication serves in these relationships. We also have discussed how developmental changes in behavioural systems relate to changes in the characteristics of adolescent romantic relationships and in the functions of communication. A critical issue to address is how young people negotiate these changes in the context of relationships. Transitioning from a primarily affiliative relationship to a partner-ship that involves attachment, care giving and sexual components requires inter-personal negotiation, because partners’ desires and expectations do not always coincide. In fact, it is inherent in all romantic relationships that individuals’ needs will differ at some points, and these differences call for them to negotiate conflict. In the following two sections, we discuss: (a) how young people communicate about the status of their romantic relationships and (b) how they man-age conflict. These topics are important events in the course of relationships because they have the capacity to bring partners closer together or to push them apart. Conflict and relationship negotiation also have implications for the functioning of the behavioral systems. For instance, it is commonly understood that open and successful communication about relationship issues is central to maintaining a secure attachment, providing supportive care giving, talking openly about sexual behavior, and enjoying each other’s companionship.