Trauma Informed Care in the Prevention of High-Risk Sexual Behaviors and Unplanned Pregnancy in Adolescents with Mental Health Disorders

Although teen pregnancy and birth rates have declined over the decades, all adolescentpopulations are at risk. Disparities among adolescent pregnancies still exist, including increased risk and rates of unplanned pregnancy among vulnerable adolescents, including those with a mental health diagnosis.Adolescent girls with mental health disorders are notably at higher risk and are three timesmore likely to become pregnant than those without a mental illness. Adolescents who have experienced trauma and have a mental health diagnosis are much more likely to engage in high-risk sexual activity, to not participate in contraceptive use, and to become pregnant than their counterparts.Using Trauma Informed Care (TIC) to assess mental health diagnoses, high-risk sexual behaviors, and risk for unplanned pregnancy among adolescent populations can be an effective approach for primary prevention. There is increased expectation for clinicians to practice TIC and to establish relationships with patients while understanding how mental health diagnoses can impact health behaviors. The focus of this paper is to examine the effects of adolescent unplanned pregnancy, identify the increased risk for adolescents with mental health disorders, and discuss general methods for TIC in clinical practice.