Hopefulness, self-esteem, and perceived social support among pregnant and nonpregnant adolescents

The concepts of hope, self-esteem and social support have been identified ae important factors in understanding a wide range of adolescent behaviors. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship of perceived hopefulness, self-esteem, and social supper? with pregnancy status. Employing a cross-sectional design a sample of pregnant (n = 58) and nonpregnant (n = 91) adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 completed the Hopefulness Scale for Adolescents (HSA), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ). Multiple regression analyses were used to assess the association of pregnancy status with hopefulness, self-esteem, and social support while controlling for age and socioeconomic status (SES). The effects of pregnancy status on each psychosocial variable were examined independently. Findings repealed pregnancy status was not associated with hopefulness, self-esteem or perceived social support when age and SES were controlled.