Do adolescents take "Baby Think It Over" seriously?

Adolescence, Spring, 2004 by Jerrold E. Barnett, Cynthia S. Hurst

Responses were then combined to form a scale indicating the extent to which students took the BTIO experience seriously and were reconsidering parental responsibilities. Items were rated from 1 to 4, where higher ratings denoted taking the experience more seriously (some of the items had to be reversed scored). A 2 x 2 analysis of variance, using gender and grade as independent variables and total score as the dependent variable, was conducted. The descriptive statistics for this analysis are presented in Table 2. There was a significant gender effect, F(1, 376) = 5.49, p = .02, with females scoring higher than males. There was also a grade effect, F(1, 376) = 4.54, p < .034, with 8th graders scoring higher than 10th graders. The grade by gender interaction was not statistically significant, F(1, 376) = .13, p = .72.

Sexual Behavior

The first item on the BTIO survey asked students if they had had sexual intercourse since their BTIO experience (a month had passed since the end of the program). Overall, 11% reported having had sexual intercourse. Surprisingly, females were slightly more likely than males to have had sexual intercourse (14% vs. 7%). Eighth graders were far less likely than 10th graders to report having had sexual intercourse (5% vs. 28%).

For comparison purposes, one item from the program evaluation asked students if they had ever had sexual intercourse. On the pretest (given the first day of the program), 45% of the 10th graders and 12% of the 8th graders reported having had sexual intercourse. It is tempting to conclude that the BTIO experience slowed adolescent sexual activity. However, it is possible that the findings reflect the inconsistent sexual behavior of adolescents, where long periods of inactivity are common (Brooks-Gunn & Furstenberg, 1989).

BTIO Output

The data provided by the simulators were consistent with the survey results showing that students took the BTIO experience seriously. Cases of "abuse"--where BTIO was neglected for long periods of time or handled roughly--were rare.

Results were compared by gender and grade. Descriptive statistics are presented in Tables 3 and 4. Due to very unequal subsample sizes, and a relatively small number of 10th-grade males, simple comparisons using t tests were conducted. Levene's test for equality of variances was also conducted, and when results were statistically significant, degrees of freedom were adjusted appropriately to accommodate the unequal variances.

First, independent t tests compared males and females on BTIO output. No significant difference was found on neglect, t(144) = .98, p = .33, nor did the variances differ, F = .11, p = .33. However, there was a statistical]y significant difference on the total amount of time BTIO cried, t(105) = 2.24,p = .027. There was also a significant difference between the variances, F = 6.87, p = .01. Males were more likely to let their infant simulators cry, but the range of response times was wider for males than for females. Males were also more likely to handle their infant simulators roughly, t(82) = 3.20, p = .005. Once again, there was more variability among males than females, F = 15.09, p .001. Taken together, the BTIO output suggests that females took better care of the infant simulators than did males. Males' generally higher scores and larger variability suggest that some did not take the parenting role seriously.