Broken …

Reflection for Module 3

A 12-year- old, barely teenage girl just gave birth to her 1^st child. Her 12 -year-old husband stood by her, bewildered by what just happened. This is not a “teleserye”. This is an actual scene in the delivery room of the hospital where I worked. I am called to “catch” the young mom’s healthy baby girl.

According to the final result of the 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, one in ten young Filipino women ages 15 to 19 is already a mother or pregnant with 1^st child. According to the National Statistics Office Chief Administrator Carmelita Ericta, the number of teenage mothers rose by 4.6%. Compared to the overall adolescent pregnancy rates in Southeast Asia, the average rate in the Philippines is almost twice as high. Why are Filipino women getting pregnant at such a tender age?

What are the causes of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines? The causes are varied but the common factors are low socioeconomic status, low educational attainment, family pressure, sexual abuse and media influence. Of course, the factors are different in other countries and culture. These environmental factors are found to influenced the development of early sexual engagement and promiscuity. Can this social issue be approached in terms of the learning theories? In the behaviorists point of view, learning occurs through interaction with the environment. Behaviorists believe that our responses to environmental stimuli shape our actions. When applied to the issue of teenage pregnancy, Skinner’s theory of reinforcement which emphasized that a reinforced behavior tends to be repeated may hold true. As stated by the author in a psychopathically blogspot I’ve read, “sex itself may be regarded as the as primary reinforcer and this forms the basis for the behavioral argument for teenage pregnancy”. “Bandura, however believed that it was a combination of an individual’s cognitive processes and environment that determined overt behavior (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2007)”. Albert Bandura is a social cognitivist psychologists. The theories of both Bandura and Skinner are very relevant in understanding the nature of teenage pregnancy but biological theory deserves consideration. It posits that our behavior is a consequence of our genetics and physiology. Biological factors such as gender and hormones play a significant role in shaping our behavior particularly the adolescents.

Who are the adolescents? The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Act of 2012 uses the term adolescents for people aged 10-19 years. The Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Paediatric Society (PPS) divided this period into early adolescence (10-13 years), middle adolescence (14-16 years) and late adolescence (17-19 years). What makes adolescents different? It is a stage where psychological changes measure up to biological changes. Hormonal surge brings about physical changes, sexual changes and behavior changes or “mood swings”. In some adolescents, such changes cannot be handled by the lagging maturation of cognitive control. These are processes that inhibit automatic responses and supports adaptive responses and goal directed thoughts.

The young mother at 12 yelled and cried in her labor pain, calling for her mother. I felt sad at the sight. At the same time, I wondered who is to blame for putting this child into this misery. Her genes? Her environment? The society? What will be the future of this little human being in my arms? How many are like her? The Philippines’ National Demographic and Health Survey and the Family Health Survey corroborated in their latest findings that the increasing prevalence of early childbearing is observed in all socioeconomic classes, all levels of education and in both urban and rural settings. I hope that every teacher is a practical behaviorist, cognitivist, sociologist, psychoanalyst and biologist to be able to hold up these teens before they get broken…

References:

https://psa.gov.ph content/one-ten-young-filipino-women-age-15-19-already-mother-or-pregnant-first-child-final-results