ABSTRACT:
Background
Formal education is considered a protective factor because of the social inclusion it promotes and because the permanence of the young in school reduces the risk of early motherhood, which leads to associate adolescent gestation to school dropout.
Objective
Analyze the predictive factors of school dropout among adolescents with pregnancy experience in Teresina, Piaui state, Brazil.
Method
Cross-sectional study with convenience sampling conducted with young women who completed pregnancy in the first four months of 2006, when they were between 15 and 19 years of age. Data were assessed by multivariate analysis using binomial logistic regression to calculate adjusted Odds Ratio (ORaj) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).
Results
94.4% of the adolescents reported having interrupted their studies some time in their lives, with 54.4% of them being definite dropouts. Young women who had recurrent pregnancies and had a job were more likely to drop out, and living with a family income of up to one minimum wage increased their chances of dropping out in three times. The dropout period was presented as a protection factor.
Conclusion
School dropout rate among young mothers is strongly associated with unfavorable socioeconomic factors, and policies that encourage continuity of education and consequent insertion in the labor market are considered essential, favoring better income, less financial dependence, and fewer early and unplanned pregnancies.
Keywords:
pregnancy; adolescence; schooling