Antecedents of Pregnancy and Pregnancy Attrition in First Term Women Marines.

摘要

Nine hundred fifty-six women Marines participated in a longitudinal study of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors relevant to pregnancy and pregnancy attrition. The results indicated that many women are ambivalent about pregnancy when they enter the Marine Corps, and that as a group they become more family oriented, and more at risk of pregnancy throughout the early part of their first term. Between 18 and 25 percent of women Marines get pregnant in the first 12 months after recruit training. This relatively high pregnancy rate is the result of a combination of factors: (a) the women engage in sexual intercourse relatively frequently; (b) they do not choose effective methods of contraception; and (c) their attitudes toward pregnancy are not sufficiently negative to motivate conscientious and consistent use of their chosen methods of birth control. Keywords: Marine corps training; Pregnancy attitudes psychology; Women marine corps personnel; Recruits personnel retention attrition; Contraception motivation. (edc)