This study presents a phenomenological analysis of the decision making ambiguity on sexual behavior by adolescent girls who become pregnant. The analysis was grounded in the informative and communicative relationships between daughters and their parents regarding sexuality and contraception care. The analytical considerations were based on 11 interviews with low middle class pregnant adolescents and one young mother, 12 to 19 years old. The analysis showed that the information the adolescents received about sexuality was incomplete, and that the communication process was hindered by lack of trust in those who tried to establish a dialogue with the girls, usually the mother. Also, the support net, composed by aunts and friends, did not provide the necessary information which was lacking. In fact, the sources of information were not sufficiently prepared to establish an efficient communication about sexuality with the adolescents because they lacked information and were prejudiced about adolescent sexuality. The interpretation pointed to three aspects related to adolescent pregnancy: 1) it reaffirms a woman’s freedom and initiative in relation to sexuality; 2) it confirms the absence of a candid and informed discussion about sexuality; and 3) it substitutes the myth of romantic love by the clear expectation of a pleasurable sexual encounter.
Adolescence; pregnancy; phenomenology; communication; sexuality
