ROBERT LETENDRE, PIERRE DORAY

EXPERIENCE OF PREGNANCY IN ADOLESCENCE

With the following three questions in mind, 1 - Why do adolescents become pregnant ? 2 - What is an adolescent’s subjective experience of her pregnancy ? and 3 - What function do pregnancy and the fetus play for the expectant adolescent mother ?, the authors conducted semi-directed interviews of 46 pregnant adolescents residing in metropolitan Montreal. Qualitative analysis revealed three principal functions of adolescent pregnancy : 1 - To repair the past and to have a better life ; 2 - To be adult and autonomous, or ; 3 - To intensify dependence on the family circle. Across these three independent groupings, notable psychological differences were found in subjective representation of the expected baby, self-image, lability, and the expectant mother’s relationships with her parents.

Key-words
Juvenile pregnancy, Qualitative research in Quebec.