Self-determination model for sexual behavior to prevent adolescent pregnancy: A mid-range theory

Abstract

Pregnancy during adolescence is a health problem, of which there are few studies of psychological variables that help explain its prevention at this stage of life. Self-determination is a psychological factor that leads a person to adhere to protective behaviors and abstain from risk behaviors, so it is relevant to identify it in adolescents for pregnancy prevention, since when an adolescent is self-determined he chooses a prevention behavior because he feels it is important for his life and not because he feels obliged. The objective of this paper is to describe a self-determination model for sexual behavior for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy, developed as a mid-range theory. We used the theoretical derivation strategy of Walker and Avant from Vallerand’s Hierarchical Model, based on the Self- Determination Theory (SDT). The self-determination model explains selfdetermined motivation for adolescent pregnancy prevention through sociocontext factors such as parental, peer and partner sexual communication, intrinsic and extrinsic life goals, and the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs involved in pregnancy prevention sexual behavior. The mid-range theory focuses on factors that favor pregnancy prevention sexual behavior, approached from an adolescent self-determination perspective, which allowed for the integration of personal, socio-context and psychological factors.