Examining the effects of self-esteem on the reproductive health of adolescent girls

The purpose of this study is to examine contributing factors to neglectful use of contraception among adolescents. Given that the period of adolescence is such a vulnerable phase, it is important to examine factors that contribute to the lack of contraception use. This study hypothesizes that adolescents with high levels of self-esteem will successfully use some form of contraception method. The study utilized perceived attractiveness and intelligence to measure levels of self-esteem. The dataset used was a quantitative design from public secondary data set Wave IV from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). This data set was a national school-based study of health related behaviors of adolescents and their outcomes in young adulthood. The results of the present study found that when exploring self esteem, high levels of perceived attractiveness, and intelligence were a contributor in determining the use of some form of contraception for female participants