Inhibitors and Facilitators of Unwanted Adolescent Pregnancy in Iran and the World: A Review

Background: Approximately 16 million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years and 1 million teenage girls less than 15 years of age become pregnant worldwide annually, and the majority of these pregnancies are unintended. Unwanted adolescent pregnancy coupled with impaired and inadequate physical and mental health can lead to slow progression of the community and the short- and long-term negative consequences. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the inhibitors and facilitators of unwanted adolescent pregnancy in Iran and across the globe. Method: The current narrative review was conducted using the keywords of "pregnancy", "unwanted", and "adolescent" in both Persian and English articles published from 2000 to 2016. The searched databases included Google Scholar, PubMed, Elsevier, Scopus, ProQuest, Irandoc, Scientific Information Database (SID), and Magiran. Results: Twenty-nine articles related to the study objectives were selected. Our investigations indicated that the inhibitors of unwanted adolescent pregnancy could be classified into four main categories of abstinence, religious beliefs, adolescent employment program, and parent-adolescent relationship. Further, the facilitators of unwanted adolescent pregnancy were categorized into eight categories of pornography on the Internet and media, peer pressure, lack of knowledge and information, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, adherence to fashion in clothing, economic and income status and family structure. Implications for Practice: The findings of this review revealed that more studies were conducted to explore the facilitators of unwanted adolescent pregnancy in comparison with inhibitors. Shortage of knowledge and information among adolescents plays a major role in unwanted adolescent pregnancy. However, a definitive judgment on the contribution of each factor to unwanted adolescent pregnancy requires further in-depth studies.