Italian adolescents’ attitudes toward sexuality, pregnancy and parenthood, and risky sexual behaviors

This study aimed to explore in an Italian adolescent sample (N=1.025) the level of self esteem, the presence of feeling of invulnerability, omnipotence and uniqueness and the representations of pregnancy and parenthood in relation to personal variables and geographical area. According to our results, southern adolescents reported lower self-esteem compared to their peers. Young males experienced higher level of omnipotence compared to females. Southern females reported higher omnipotence than their peers. Young females idealized parenthood more than males, while older males idealized parenthood more than females. Southern adolescents idealized pregnancy and parenthood more than their peers. Self-esteem and omnipotence were predictive of risky sexual behaviours.