Psychosocial Predictors of Teenage Pregnancy: Roles of Self-Esteem, Study Attitude, and Family Attachment

Abstract

Teenage pregnancy remains a significant public health concern in low- and middle-income countries, including the Philippines, where rural and underserved communities continue to experience persistent social and health inequities. Despite ongoing policy and programmatic efforts, adolescent fertility rates remain disproportionately high in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. This study examined psychosocial factors associated with teenage pregnancy using a cross-sectional retrospective design. Participants were adult women aged 20 years and above who were purposively selected from barangay records in rural communities and classified as teenage mothers (first childbirth at ages 13–19) or non-teenage mothers (first childbirth at age 20 or older). A total of 441 respondents completed structured questionnaires assessing self-esteem, study attitudes, and family attachment as recalled prior to their first pregnancy. Independent-sample t-tests were conducted to examine group differences, while multivariable logistic regression was used to identify psychosocial predictors of teenage pregnancy. Results indicated that non-teenage mothers reported significantly higher self-esteem, more positive study attitudes, and stronger maternal attachment than teenage mothers (p < .001). Logistic regression analysis showed that self-esteem (OR = 0.16), study attitude (OR = 0.66), and maternal attachment (OR = 0.20) were significant protective factors against teenage pregnancy. The model demonstrated robust predictive performance, with an overall classification accuracy of 82% and high sensitivity in identifying teenage mothers. These findings underscore the importance of psychosocial and relational factors in shaping adolescent reproductive outcomes within structurally constrained rural contexts. Strengthening adolescents’ self-esteem, sustaining school engagement, and promoting supportive mother–child relationships may be critical components of preventionoriented strategies to reduce teenage pregnancy, particularly in rural and resource-constrained settings.