FAMILY CHANGE DURING AN UNWED TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Sixteen white intact families with unwed teenage daughters completed Olson, Portner, and Bell's Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales III of 1985 and Cervera's Family Alliance Questionnaire of 1989 at the sixth and eight months of the pregnancy and one month after the baby's birth. In the first interview, subjects also responded retrospectively to the questionnaires. The results suggest that on average the families became more cohesive and had improved family functioning over the pregnancy. However, individual families showed different patterns. The implications for practice are discussed in the paper.