Perceived social support, self esteem, and pregnancy status among Dominican adolescents.

UNLABELLED: Adolescent pregnancy is a major health concern among Dominicans in the U.S. and in the Dominican Republic (DR). Twenty three percent of adolescents age 15-19 have experienced pregnancy and this trend is rising. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore and compare social support, self-esteem and pregnancy between Dominican adolescents in the DR with those who have immigrated to the U.S. METHODS: This study used an exploratory, descriptive design including study samples from both the U.S. and DR. Findings showed that young women with stronger social support and higher self esteem experienced lower pregnancy rates in both the DR and U.S. RESULTS: Neither self esteem nor social support was found to be predictors of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Important findings from this study will inform the development of interventions aimed at preventing pregnancy in adolescents.

Risk behaviors of Dominican adolescents in their homeland and in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescence is a time of developmental change. The major task of adolescence is to become an independent individual capable of functioning as a contributing adult within culturally expected norms. It is often accompanied by frustration and difficulties with adjustments. One typical response of adolescents to these changes is engaging in high-risk behaviors. The purpose of this study was to compare self-reported high risk behaviors that may lead to unintentional and intentional injuries among adolescents living in the Dominican Republic and Dominican adolescents living in the United States. METHOD: This study used a cross-sectional, comparative design with data collection sites in Las Matas de Farfan, Dominican Republic, and Boston, MA, United States. Data were collected using the 99-item 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. RESULTS: Findings indicated that adolescents in both groups reported similar risk behaviors in all areas; however, there were few differences between the two groups that did exist. DISCUSSION: To educate youth regarding outcomes of high-risk behaviors, it is necessary for providers to engage in discussion with adolescents regarding specific risk behaviors that are commonly practiced in their homeland or in their cultural groups.

Boston: a city where everybody (or nobody) knows your name.

Boston is a city where patriots and health care pioneers helped shaped history--and everybody knows their names. Boston is also home to many unnamed citizens such as homeless children, uninsured families, HIV-infected African Americans, adolescents with alcohol and/or drug problems, and isolated elders. Globally, there are also major health disparities and resource gaps. Primary care providers face many economic and technological challenges as they strive to give names to and serve the underserved. This article is an adapted version of the opening keynote address at the 11th Annual Primary Care for the Underserved Conference held May 2003 in Boston, MA.

Attack on America: children's reactions and parents' responses.

INTRODUCTION: When disaster strikes, as it did September 11, 2001, children react to both the actual event and their parents' distress. The purpose of this study was to find out how children were affected by these recent events and how parents responded to their children's concerns. This study is a sequel to a previous study on parents' and children's perceptions to the President Clinton situation and the Starr Report. METHOD: Eighty-eight school-aged children and 51 parents were recruited for this descriptive, qualitative study that used community-based snowball sampling. Parents and children were asked a series of questions about the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, including how they heard about it and how it made them feel. RESULTS: Children's responses indicated feelings of fear about their safety and their future; wanting to take revenge; feeling sad and disappointed; and empathy for the victims. Parents realized they had to comfort their children in spite of their own feelings of dismay. Many parents reported difficulty in reacting to their child's concerns regarding fairness and justice. DISCUSSION: Pediatric nurse practitioners need to understand parents' and children's responses to such events in order to provide optimal health care, support, and counseling within the context of normal growth and development.