This book reports on the Penn Study of Teenage Pregnancy, which examined issues surrounding adolescent pregnancy, abortion, and childbearing. Participants were African-American teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 from disadvantaged urban backgrounds. Based on individual interviews over 2 years in the early 1980s, the study provided details about the teenagers' attitudes, perceptions and decisions; investigated their background characteristics, sexual knowledge, and behavior; examined feelings about pregnancy; compared adolescents who terminated a first pregnancy to those who delivered; and identified the behavioral, psychological and social differences of matched never-pregnant teens. The nine chapters in the volume are titled as follows: (1) "Studying the Problem of Teenage Pregnancy"; (2) "Risking Pregnancy: Avoidance, Ignorance, and Delay of Contraceptive Use"; (3) "Wanting Pregnancy: Teenagers' Attitudes, Goals, and Perceived Support"; (4) "Choosing Abortion or Delivery: Influences and Outcomes"; (5) "Avoiding Childbearing: Teenagers Who Terminated a First Pregnancy Compared to Never-Pregnant Peers"; (6) "Pregnancies After Study Enrollment: 'Pregnant Because They Are Different or Different Because They Are Pregnant?'"; (7) "Family Involvement: Preventing Early Teenage Childbearing"; (8) "Male Teenagers and Contraception"; and (9) "Conclusions and Recommendations." Six appendices provide information on measurement instruments and assessment points in the study; statistical procedures used; summary of theoretical framework with main variables for analysis; background characteristics of the sample at enrollment (percent distribution); statistical tables; and an initial interview questionnaire. The bibliography includes approximately 200 titles. (LL)