Report Finds Parental Influence, Faith Are Teen Pregnancy Prevention Keys
by Bill Fancher and Jenni Parker
January 26, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A recent study on influences that prevent early teen pregnancy has reinforced a host of other studies. A report from "Child Trends" and the "National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy" found that parents and religion are the key elements that keep teen pregnancy from occurring.Dr. Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America's Beverly LaHaye Institute believes the report's findings should send a strong message to parents. "If parents would convey what their strong religious beliefs are, attend service regularly, live out their faith in their life choices, and be very active in the church -- and have their kids active -- that provides the best possible armor for our kids," she says.
The information reported comes as no surprise to Crouse. In fact, she notes, "There's been a whole body of research that says exactly this, and so it was really nice to see that Child Trends and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy conducted their own study that confirmed all the data that is already out there."
A recent Interfaith study found that 70 percent of teenagers feel religion is a key part of their lives and the majority want to have a deeper religious experience. The Child Trends/National Campaign report offers further support for the growing scientific community consensus that parental involvement, strong faith, participation in church activities and positive peer influences, such as church friends, have an impact on teens' sexual decision making.
Specifically, the Child Trends/National Campaign report said teens are less likely to have sex before age 18 if their parents hold strong religious beliefs and explain them to their adolescent children, regularly attend worship services together with them and are affiliated with a denomination. Also, those teens who worship with their family and have a strong mother-teen relationship are more likely to delay becoming sexually active.
The Child Trends report analyzes the data generated by the research and shows important correlations. The brief ends with a statement that "future research should focus on gaining a better understanding of why parent religiosity affects teens' decisions about sex." Crouse says general agreement on this point is widespread -- so much so that the Lilly Endowment funded a four-year study to identify those religious, social, and moral practices that so effectively influence young people's lives.
In a recent article, the LaHaye Institute spokeswoman noted that "abundant research from various top-level universities and government agencies to research institutions like the Barna Research Group documents that active church participation is the key to raising well-adjusted, happy children who have a life-long moral compass ...."
It is "a given" that parents influence their children's outcomes, Crouse asserts. She says the relationship parents establish with their youngsters and the way those mothers and fathers demonstrate to them that their faith is vital can "to a very large extent" determine their children's future.
