Teenage Parents Essay, Research Paper

This study aims to determine the stresses and coping strategies encountered by

Teenage

Parents.

Life is a series of choices. Deciding whether to marry, whether to have

children, whether to have two careers in one marriage, and whether to view a

situation positively are among the more important choices you will ever make in

your lifetime. And besides of all this choices, problems may appear and turn to

stress that people encounter in daily living. Stress is the "wear and

tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing

environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive

or negative feelings. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to

action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a

negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger and

depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset

stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and

stroke. With the death of loved one, the birth of the child, a job promotion, or

a new relationship, we experience stress as we readjust our lives. In so

adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on

how we react to it. Moreover, stress is, of course, an inevitable part of every

one’s life. Some stress is essential, and some is actually energizing. As a

leading researcher said, "complete freedom from stress is death" (

Selye, 1980). On the other hand, early marriage can lead to a couple a number of

potential problem. Couple should be aware all the possible difficulties which

could lie ahead. There’s a lot of problems that may arise in early marriage.

Like for instance, the problem of adequate financial support is obvious.

Although money does not buy happiness, it is true a tight financial situation

can create tensions, which can undermine an otherwise happy relationship. While

some financial problems are to be expected in almost any new marriage, it is

important to take time to think sensibly, so that such problems will not destroy

what could otherwise be a beautiful relationship, if not undertaken prematurely.

Money, according to Coleman (1984), ranks as the single most common cause of

conflict in marriage. These are conflicts over who earns the money, who spends

much on what and who manages the money in terms of paying bills, borrowing and

investing. Pietropinto and Siminauer found out that not only is money a major

source of conflict in marriage but also that debts are the greatest crisis in

marriage (Coleman, 1984). According to Leslie (1980), financial adjustments

problems vary over the life cycle. Young married couples generally must start

almost from scratch and purchase virtually everything required to run a

household. On one income, this is difficult, but on two income, it is easier.

This is not to suggest that you will wait about marriage until every possible

financial problem has been completely solved, but rather simply suggests that

you do not close your eyes to the real situation whatever it may be. Although

some newly married couples find it necessary to temporarily make their home with

their parents, this is generally not a wise choice unless absolutely necessary

and then only for as short a period of time as possible. A second problem which

must be faced by those who enter into an early marriage is the problem of

personal maturity. While immature and irresponsible actions may sometimes seem

funny before marriage, they can become serious pitfalls within the marriage

bond. This is one reason why a courtship of at least several months should

precede any marriage, since even the most irresponsible and self-centered person

put on a good front for a few weeks or months. One of the surest signs of

immaturity and irresponsibility in both young men and young women is a lack of

willingness to do a reasonable share of work in a consistent, dependable way

prior to marriage. When such an indifferent attitude is demonstrated before

marriage, you can be sure that it is only likely to become worse after marriage.

. A third potential problem to be considered is the problem of growing apart.

This simply means that while two young people in their middle teenage years have

much in common, that in many cases, our ideals and goals change as we pass the

teenage years, to such extent that we may easily find ourselves married for life

to a person with whom we will ultimately have very little in common. Perhaps the

worst mistake of all is to marry simply to get away from an unpleasant situation

at home. Even if you are presently facing home problems which seem almost

unbearable, you will not have to remain in such a situation forever. When you

marry, however, it is for life. So don’t let current personal problems drive you

into a marriage which you may otherwise not really want. Such a choice usually

proves to be a very poor trade indeed, and one that often leads to a lifetime of

regret. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Selye (1982), the father of stress

research, defines stress as a stimulus event of sufficient severity to produce

disequilibrium in the homeostatic physiological systems. Stress also has been

conceptualized variously as a nonspecific response of the body to any demand

that exceedsthe person’s ability to cope, as a person- environment relationship

that threatens or taxes personal resources, and as a mental state in response to

strain or daily hassles ( Lazarus and Launier, 1978; Lazarus, De Longis, Folkman,

and Gruen, 1985; Rutter, 1983). Stress can be caused by both positive and

negative things in one’s life. A little stress is not unhealthy, but too much

stress and tension can cause serious illnesses, headaches, hostility and

emotional disorders. Dealing with stress and knowing how to spot the things that

cause it ( called stressors)are extremely important. People who are stress

survivors stay healthy through the worst of times. They consider stressful

situations opportunities for growth. On the other hand, there are four factors

that can cause stress namely: 1. Change. ( Lazarus) identified two types of

daily events involving change such as negative and positive side. On the

negative side are hassles, which are the "irritating, frustrating, or

distressing incidents that occur in our everyday transactions with the

environment." Common hassles include misplacing or losing things, having

too many things to do, and being concern about physical appearance. On the

positive side are uplifts, which include such pleasures as completing a task,

visiting or phoning a friend, and feeling healthy. 2. Unpredictability is

stressful because you cannot plan for these random events- you have to be

constantly " on your toes." For example, you know that you will

graduate from college on a certain date, and if you are planning a wedding, you

probably will know many months in advance the date on which you will get

married. 3. Lack of control. Many events in our environment may be particularly

stressful because they emphasize our vulnerability and lack of control. 4.

Conflict, which is a state that occurs when a person is motivated to choose

between two or more mutually exclusive goals or courses of action. Investigators

have identified four major types of categories of conflict ( Lewin 1931; Miller,

1944). These are : Approach- approach conflict: which involves a choice between

two attractive goals; Avoidance-avoidance conflict: this type of conflict

results when people must choose between two unattractive goals;

Approach-avoidance conflict: involves only one goal which has both attractive

and unattractive qualities; double-approach-avoidance conflict: this type of

conflict result when a person has to choose between two goals, each of which has

both positive and negative qualities. Selye’s view is that human beings do not

always react to stress in the uniform way he proposed. There is much more to

understanding stress in humans than knowing their physical reactions to it. We

also need to know about their personality, their physical makeup, their

perceptions, and the context in which the stressor occurred (Hobfoll,1989;

Parker, Finkel, and indice, 1993 ). The severity of stress consequences depends

partly on how a man understands and feels about the stressor. (Donald

Meichenbaum) suggested that the stress response be divided into four separate

phases: "preparing for a stressor, confronting or handling a stressor,

possibly being overwhelmed by a stressor, and finally, reinforcing oneself for

having coped." Selye, a Montreal, Canada, Physician and Author of several

books on stress, feels that ther is a type of stress that can be harmful. He

calls it distress. Distress is continual stress that causes you to constantly

readjust or adapt In this connection, Doctors suggest some guidelines on how to

live with stress: 1. Work off stress- if you are angry or upset, try to blow off

steam physically by activities such as running, playing tennis, or gardening and

also even taking a walk. Physical activity allows you a "fight" outlet

for mental stress. 2. Talk out your worries – it helps to share worries with

someone you trust and respect. This may be a friend, family member, teacher or

counselor. 3. Learn to accept what you can’t change – if the problem is beyond

your control at this time, try your best to accept it until you can change it.

4. Avoid self-medication. 5. Get enough sleep and rest- lack of sleep can lessen

your ability ti deal with stress by making you more irritable. 6. Balance work

and creation- all work and no play can make Jack a nervous wreck. Schedule time

for recreation to relax your mind. 7. Do something for others – sometimes when

you are distressed, you concentrate too much on yourself and your situation.

When this happens, it is often wise to do something for someone else, and get

your mind off of yourself. 8. Take one thing at a time- it is defeating to

tackle all your tasks at once. Instead, set some aside and work on the most

urgent 9. Give in once in a while- if you find the source of stress is other

people try giving in instead of fighting and insisting you are always right 10.

Make yourself available- when you are bored and feel left out, go where the

action is !Sitting alone will just make you more frustrated. Stress is a

personal matter. How much stress we experience is determined by the quality and

intensity of a combination of variables: the dimensions of the stressor, the way

we interpret the meaning of the stressor, the resources we have available to

deal with the stressor, and the amount and nature of the total strain placed on

the individual. COPING STRATEGIES Coping is the process of managing taxing

circumstances, expending effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems,

and seeking to master, minimize, reduce or tolerate stress and conflict. A

stressful event can be rendered considerably less stressful if a person

successfully cope with it. Successful coping depends on two factors:

problem-solving and emotional self-regulation. Some individual have been

"hardy" because they seem able to transform potentially stressful

situations into less stressful experiences. Several techniques have been

practically used or applied by individual to deal life demands more effectively

with stress : 1. Progressive relaxation : the alternate tensing and relaxing of

different muscle groups of the in a specific sequence; 2. Autogenic training : a

relaxation produce that depends on self-suggestion and amagery; 3. Biofeed back

: a form of operant conditioning design to make people aware of an unconscious

physiological response so they can learn to control it (Bower, 1987). White

(1974) refers to three components of the coping process: 1. The ability to gain

and process new information; 2. The ability to maintain control over one’s

emotional; and 3. The ability to move freely with in one’s environment. In

addition, the study of Mariquit (1997), identified three coping styles that the

people deals with the stressors in their lives. These are cognitive coping

strategies, problem-focused, and emotion-focused strategies. That according to

Ellis and Bernard (1985) cognitive coping strategies involved changing how

people interpret stressors. Cognitive coping strategies help people think more

clearly, rationally and constructively in the face of the stress. Cognitive

styles does not eliminate the stressors, but it can make it less threatening and

disruptive. Cognitive coping replaces catastropic thinking with thought in which

stressors are viewed as challenges rather than threats to self-steem. Many

people manage stress and anxiety with cognitive coping strategies, that they

prepare themselves from pressure through gradual exposure to increasingly higher

levels of stress. (Janis, 1985). Study by Lazarus and Allport (1985) suggest

that people can learn to manage their stress stress to some extent by thought

processes. A major role of the current research is to prepare people to react in

constructive ways to early signs of stress. Each individual deals with stressful

situation in his or her unique way, often using a combination of problem-focused

and emotion-focused strategies. In most instances, problem solving is the

healthier approach but not all problems can be solved. In such instances as an

incapacitating illness or the loss of a loved one, individuals may need to

reduce emotional distress until they can face the situation in its entirely. We

often use emotion-focused coping to maintain hope, to keep our moral so that we

can continue to function. In general, emotion-focused forms of coping occur when

a person is experiencing a high level of stress and has decided that nothing can

be done to modify the threatening conditions. Problem-focused forms of coping,

on the other hand, are more probable at moderate level of stress, where the

situation is appraised as changeable (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984). Furthermore,

coping strategies can also be categorized as active-cognitive;

active-behavioral; and avoidance strategies (Billings, Cronkite, Moss,

1983;Billings and Moss, 1981). Active-cognitive are coping responses in which

individual actively think about a situation in an effort to adjust more

effectively. For example, if you have a problem that involved braking up with a

husband or wife, you may have coped by using logical reasoning about why you

would be better off in the long run being out of this relationship. You might

have also analyzed why the relationship did not work. Active-behavioral

strategies are coping responses in which individual take some type of action to

improve their problem situation. For example, a couples problem might get some

help from the other people, like a counselor. Avoidance coping strategies are

responses that individuals use to keep stressful circumstances out of awareness

so they do not have to deal with them. Everything we know about coping suggests

that avoidance strategies can be extremely harmful to individuals adjustments

when they are used for more than a brief relief from experiencing stress. For

example, of having a marital problems, an avoidance strategy is to simply do

nothing about the problem concerns. In another respect, one who make full

adjustment to his environments, his social being, and other people is one that

who easily relate their experiences, feeling and emotions to the people whom the

interact with. Some people say that they share affection in order to gain more

or less the same from others and try to get along with them and be able to form

close and satisfying relationships with others and believed that when problems

are shared they are lighten. Social support of other people is a significant

factor in relieving marital stress (Bunk and Janssen, 1987). Moreover, according

to Robert L. Khan (1986), there is only one anti-stressors that helps in almost

all situations – having a strong system of social support. Friends and family

can provide an objective view of problem and they can also give encouraging

feedback as couple make progress in learning how to handle stress better.

Considerable research now indicates that social support reduces or buffers the

adverse psychological impact of exposure to stressful life events and on going

life strains (Cohenand Wills, 1985.) In addition, acquiring social support can

be away of coping with stress caused by the problems and conflicts encountered

in everyday life. Ensel and Len (1989) said that if we consider life stress as

the aspect of the social environment having a detrimental effect on well-being,

then it is reasonable to expect that there are aspects in the social environment

that enhance one’s ability either to improve well-being to counter potential

adverse effects of life stress. The authors defined social support as the

process by which resources in the social structure are brought to bear to meet

the functional needs in routine and crisis situations. Zimbardo (1992) adopt a

similar concept of social support as referring to the sources others provide,

giving the message that one is loved, cared for , esteemed, and connected to

other people in a network of communication and mutual obligation. Zimbardo

further mentioned that we all cope with stress as individuals, but, for a

lifetime of effective coping and for the continued success of our species, it is

necessary for as to form alliances with others. Isolation can lead to inadequate

coping and can itself be the cause of stress. Contemporary research shows that

being a part of a social support network and living and working in a healthy

environment leads to an improvement in coping. RELATED STUDIES However, many

discover that getting married was a desperate flight to intimacy and being

married becomes a burdensome pressure to escape aloneness and freedom (Lester,

1979 ). This is one of the reasons why many end up in divorce and separation

which define the unstable marriage of a couple. Furthermore, the Juvenile

Delinquents Court, Quezon City has a record nearly one thousand person who

applied for annulment of marriage or legal separation ( Record Book,1975. The

main cause of this is early marriage. However, early marriage is not an easy

one, it can lead you to problem as a result of stress. "Marriage is not

just an adventure but a lifetime commitment. It is the foundation of the family

and an inviolable social institution" ( Article 1, Family Code ).

Therefore, if you planned to marry be sure and be aware a number of potential

problems which are encountered by a marriage couple. According to ( Roberta

Flack ), " Getting married is easy. Staying married is difficult. Staying

happily married for a lifetime should rank among the fine arts." Recent

studies reveal that one of the most sought changes in a married couple’s life,

the birth of their first child, is also a source of major stress, contributing

to reduced marital satisfaction ( Cowan and Cowan, 1988 ). Hundreds of studies

demonstrate beyond doubt that teenage marriages are high-risk marriage. A few

succeed, most fail. The great dream of happiness and lasting romance disappears

under the burdens, monotomy and routine of earning. Cooking, paying bills,

housekeeping , caring for children , and being excluded from the teenage groups

(Landis, 1977). As seen from statistical studies the optimum age for success in

marriage is between ages 21-29 for women and between ages 24-29 for men.

(Gilmer, 1977). Furthermore, a study conducted by Landis (1979) revealed that

the younger the person at marriage, the greater the likelihood of failure.

Failure runs up to 75% among the younger marriages. Part of the reasons is that

young marriages are forced by pregnancy. Some researchers have viewed stress as

resulting from exposure to major life changes or life events ( Dohrenwend and

Dohrenwend, 1974; Dohrenwend and Shrout others may face complications in giving

birth. Newborn children of teenage mothers often have low birth weights and

higher than average incidence of serious birth defects. Infant mortality rates

are also high among children born to very young mothers (Neubeck,1991). 2)

Teenage mothers often do not complete high school, and may live below the

poverty level (Atkinson, et al,1990). 3) Teen-age mother’s lack of knowledge of

maternal and child health care puts a great strain not only to her and the baby

also on her own family who often times carries the burden of caring for pregnant

adolescents. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The family cannot be understood in isolation

from the rest of society. It is integrated into the community and culture to

which it belongs. What takes place in the family is highly dependent on and

related to that which takes place in other aspects of society (Medina, 1991)

Today, more and more social scientist and population experts are focusing their

attention on the increasing number of teenage pregnancies worldwide. There is

indeed enough cause for such concern. Most of the teenagers who admitted having

engaged in premarital sex eventually encountered the problem of pregnancy.

Findings of a National Research Council (1987), revealed that teenage pregnancy

rate in the United Stated is one of the highest in the world. In 1984 alone, 1

million teenage girls and 10% of all teenage girls in the nation become

pregnant. About half had their babies, 13% miscarried, and 40% had abortion

(National Research Council, NRC, 1987) . Furthermore the first Interhemispheric

Conference on Adolescent Fertility in the Philippines revealed that close to 13

million girls who become married in 1975 where teenagers. With regards to

adolescent fertility situation in the nation, local expert have found the

increase in teenage pregnancies in the Philippines (Bernales, 1985). Dreyer

(1982) suggest several reasons for early expression of sexual behavior; 1)

Adolescents are reaching sexual maturity at younger ages than in previous

decades; 2) Knowledge and use of contraception are becoming more wide spread,

thus eliminating fears of pregnancy; 3) Adults’ sexual attitudes and behavior

are changing; 4) Adolescents consider sexual behavior normal in an intimate

relationship (Lefton, 1991). However , the consequences of teenage pregnancy are

great. To name a few, these are : 1). The younger the age at which pregnancy

occurs, the higher the probability that the mother and child will have serious

health problem. Young mothers may face complications in giving birth. Newborn

children of teenage mothers often have low birth weights and higher than average

incidence of serious birth defects. Infant mortality rates are also high among

children born to very young mothers (Neubeck, 1991). 2). Teenage mothers often

do not complete high school, and may live below the poverty levels (Atkinson, et

al, 1990). 3). Teenage mothers lack of knowledge of maternal and child health

care puts a great strain not only to her and the baby also on her family who

often times carries the burden of caring for pregnant adolescents. Teenage

marriage is a worldwide phenomenon in which thousands of teenagers make terrible

mistakes because of not knowing how to handle adolescents’ emotions. Some who

are misinterpreting their feelings of love leap into premature marriages. Many

married couples who opt to stay together may not really be happy. They stay

married for the seek of the children, or for religion or financial reasons. But

actually they find that they are not really in love at all. Since eros or erotic

love is a natural love, as also philia love, (Rosenbaum, 1979), it is natural

that when couples spend a lot of times together they begin to think about

building a permanent relationship. In the researcher’s observation, many

Filipinos marry at young age, usually before reaching the age of twenty. In

rural areas, teenage marriages occur as early as thirteen years old because of

lack of opportunities to pursue other activities like going to school that can

divert the attention of young people towards the powerful stimulation of sex and

the attraction of the opposite sex. Burchinal, (1977), has done a great deal of

research on young marriages. Young marriages are arbitrarily defined as those

entered at under 19 years of age. Individuals who select a mate in the younger

age groups have certain characteristics that distinguish from the older group.

Burchinal found that early marriages: 1). Usually involve young girls and their

slightly older husbands. 2). Involve premarital pregnancies in between

approximately one third to one half of all cases. 3). Disproportionately involve

persons with lower or working class backgrounds. Another studies of young

marriages indicates that girls who marry young are emotionally less stable than

those who marry later and they have less satisfactory relationships with their

parental families. Burchinal suggests that the rates of young marriage may go

down in the near future. He thinks if possible that increasingly greater value

attached to extending education will have an impact on young marriages:

"Increased school and post-high school attendance should be associated with

a reduction in young marriage rates. Among 17-year-olds, schooled dropout rates

declined from 32% in 1950 to 24% in 1960." But while marriage frequently

leads to ending formal education if the individuals are in high school it is

much less apt to have the same negative effect when the couple are older and in

college. There is some evidence to support Burnichal’s contention. Parke and

Glick show that 23% of all the women who were 30 to 34 years of age had married

before 18. " The rate of early teenage marriages is successively smaller

for each younger group of women. Only 15% of all the women who are currently 18

and 19 years old married before age 18." However ,there are variations in

age at marriage related to certain social variables. For example, early marriage

has a strong attraction for some young people. Some see early marriage as the

best means to achieve adult status and related privileges. It is also seen as

providing a daily and nightly partner "who serves to reduce the

psychological cost extracted from the alone individual by the

mobility-achievement system which pervades much of our society." In other

words, early marriage is seen by many as providing them with a "

significant other at a time when they have a strong need for that type of

relationships." As suggested earlier, there are also possible negative

consequences to early marriage. The earlier the marriage the more apt it is to

be dissolved by the couple. Also, the earlier the marriage, the more likely it

is to be characterized by negative effects. Very often the question of success

or failure in a marriage may be less determined by chronological age than by

personal and social maturity. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Marriage involves critical

planning. Any action taken may result with gains and losses. If the partners are

indifferent towards the factors that contribute to success, their marriage will

become worthless. But if the factors are given priority, they will gain a

meaningful marriage. Early marriage below twenty years old, may be considered as

an offshoot to some factors such as emotional, financial, religion, age, and

educational attainment. This study assumes that families of today are endangered

and reason for this phenomenon is the rapid change in society norms and

conditions caused by urbanization and industrialization (Medina, 1991). As a

result, the family is encountering new and more complex stressors as compared to

the stressors faced by the family of yesterday. Following this concept, the

reaserchers in this study has identified three stressors namely: Financial

factors, psychological factors, and social factors. Financial refers to

insufficient income/earnings not enough to sustain the needs of the family.

Financial difficulties are usually handled by couples through budgetting or

borrowing money usually from relatives and close friends (Leslie, 1980).

Psychological refers to the negative perception or interpretation o fthings of

events. It may be either frustration or conflict (Sferra, 1961). In this study,

it involves emotional-refers to negative affect of feelings; behavioral-refers

to negative acts or behavior; and cognitive-refers to negative thinking and

perceiving. Social, pertaining to man as living to society (Webster Dictionary,

1967) As used in this study, it refers to the interaction of teenage man and

woman with other people or friends. Coping strategies are the means of dealing

with the perceived threat of various types of stressors. A person cannot avoid

stress but he can learn to cope with it. There are two main types of coping

identified in this study. These are negative and positive coping approaches.

Positive coping is confronting the problems through positive action or through

realistic problem-solving activities. Negative coping is confronting the

problems through negative action. The concept of this paper is illustrated in

the schematic diagram, below.

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