Abuse among pregnant adolescents: differences by developmental age.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence of abuse among pregnant teens in the three developmental stages of adolescence and to determine if abuse was related to pregnancy planning, high school participation, substance use during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and infant birth weight. DESIGN: Prospective survey. METHODS: A total of 559 pregnant adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 were interviewed. Abuse was measured by the Abuse Assessment Screen. Substance use was measured by self-report. Birth weights were obtained from hospital records. RESULTS: Abuse was reported by 37% of the adolescents. In every age group, the incidence of low birth weight was higher in those who had been abused. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The high rates of abuse reported by both adolescent and adult women in this study emphasize the need for nurses in every setting to incorporate routine screening for abuse into their nursing assessments.

PIP: 72 pregnant female adolescents aged 13-15 years, 166 aged 16-17, and 341 aged 18-19 attending prenatal clinics in the greater metropolitan area of a northwestern city participated in a study to assess the incidence of abuse, including physical and sexual abuse, in that subpopulation and to determine whether such abuse is related to pregnancy planning, high school participation, substance use during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and infant birth weight. 52% of the subjects were White, 30% were Black, 4% Native American, 4% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and 6% other. They had completed an average of 10.7 years of education, although 47% had dropped out of high school. 8.6% were married and living with their partner, 28% reported being single and cohabiting with a partner, and this was the first pregnancy for 57%. Abuse was measured using the Abuse Assessment Screen, substance abuse was measured by self-report, and birth weights were obtained from hospital records. More than 37% reported abuse, with the middle adolescents reporting the highest incidence and the oldest adolescents the least. In every age group, the incidence of low birth weight was higher among subjects who had been abused, although that difference was not statistically significant. Compared to nonabused subjects, those abused were significantly more likely to be high school dropouts, to smoke, and to have experienced bleeding during the second trimester. No differences were observed between the abused and nonabused subjects in pregnancy planning and reported use of marijuana, alcohol, or other drugs.

The effects of running stress on plasma vitamin A levels in rats.

The plasma concentrations of vitamin A, zinc and proteins and the hepatic level of vitamin A were determined in rats subjected to running as a model for stress and which were receiving standard or vitamin-A free diets. All rats showed a decrease in plasma vitamin A with running compared with non-running control animals. Hepatic levels of vitamin A were higher in these two test groups than in their weight- and age-matched non-running controls. The data support that running, like other forms of stress, decreases plasma vitamin A, consistent with the retention of vitamin A in the liver.

Urinary undiversion and pregnancy.

The case reports of two pregnant patients with myelodysplasia who had previously undergone ileocecal cystoplasty are presented. Obstetric and urologic complications of urinary diversion with or without subsequent undiversion are discussed.

Relationships among self-concept and school achievement, maternal self-esteem and sensory integration abilities for learning disabled children, ages 7 to 12 years.

52 learning disabled students were assessed to evaluate the relationships among self-concept and (a) school achievement, (b) maternal self-esteem, and (c) sensory integration abilities. Of these variables, perceptual motor abilities as measured by the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests contributed to reported self-concept of learning disabled students.