National Problems, Local Solutions
Comprehensive Services for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10881963 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard A Weatherley (University of Washington, corresponding author), MICHAEL H LEVINE (New York Urban Coalition), Sylvia B Perlman (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston), Lorraine V Klerman (Yale School of Medicine) |
| Year | 1987 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 73-92 |
| Publication date | 1987-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Youth & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0044-118X • E-ISSN: 1552-8499 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0044118x87019001004 |
| PMID | 12156353 |
| OpenAlex | W1984341777 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
This study identifies a number of factors associated with the successful development and maintenance of local comprehensive adolescent pregnancy programs in the US. The comprehensive programs were located in communities with relatively well-developed social welfare infrastructures. They received basic state support and were able to tap a wide variety of federal, state, and local resources. These comprehensive programs were managed by skillful administrators and drew upon a broad range of leadership talents. Only a minority of exceptional communities possess the essential prerequisites. Within states, grant mechanisms favor those few localities that can put together the winning proposal or that have the organizational capacity to draw on a variety of funding sources. They are not always the communities with the greatest need. Within communities, even the most comprehensive programs served only a small proportion of the potential clientele. They reflected a brief crisis intervention orientation to a problem that is complex and long-lasting in its origin and consequences. National evaluations and comprehensive programs have found that their benefits are limited and short-lived. The study further demonstrates the political vulnerability of local services for stigmatized and powerless groups in the absence of a strong national mandate. Service providers kept a low profile to avoid the attention of potential opponents. A national strategy based on the sponsorship of a limited number of demonstration projects and the dissemination of information about exceptional, exemplary programs is unlikely to accomplish very much. The evidence suggests that the lack of a national policy commitment to pregnancy prevention contributes to the high rate of adolescent pregnancies
Business · Economic growth · Economics · Intervention (counseling · Mandate · National Policy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Service (business · Service delivery framework · State (computer science · Variety (cybernetics · Vulnerability (computing · Community Health and Development · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Marketing · Psychology · Public Administration
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |