N480 FAMILY NURSING SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER
By Audrey Taylor
MEMBERS OF THE JUERGENS FAMILY Amy Juergens
The main character of the show, Amy is a 15-yearold girl. She is a good student who plays the French horn in the school band at her new high school. She meets a popular boy named Ricky at her school’s band camp and after losing her virginity to him, finds out she is pregnant. She begins dating Ben, a classmate of hers. Ricky finds out about the baby and begins to compete with Ben on who is going to date Amy. At the end of the first season, she gives birth to John, a healthy baby boy. The show is based around her navigating her pregnancy, being a teenage mom, struggling with custodial arrangements, establishing and ending romantic relationships, and dealing with family drama. A viewer will watch Amy evolve from a shy, awkward teenage girl into a confident woman who knows what she wants. This shows follow her through high school and around a year post-graduation.
Anne Scott Juergens
Baby Robbie
Mother to Amy and Ashley, Anne is married to George, their father, at the beginning of the show. Quickly into the show, she discovers he is having an affair. After trying to make it work for a bit, they end up separating. She begins working to support herself. Anne rekindles her love with a former boyfriend and soon after, is pregnant herself. However, the baby is figured to be George’s, because they slept together during the separation process. They name him Robbie, who does not have a significant role in the show as he is an infant/toddler. Although they do not remarry each other, Anne and George maintain a friendly relationship. Anne is a caring mother who wants to take an active role in the lives of her children. Anne comes out as gay after traveling to Europe and she begins a relationship with a woman. Her children are surprised by this news but are supportive of who she is.
MEMBERS OF THE JUERGENS FAMILY Ashley Juergens
The younger sister of Amy, Ashley feels like she is different from the rest of her family. She goes through a ‘rebellious’ stage where she often gets in trouble at school, usually for dressing in short skirts and crop tops. She is sarcastic and does not care what others think. She has a hard time handling her parent’s divorce and feels forgotten because of it. She tries many times to ‘fix’ her family and begs her parents to live under one roof together. Though they are not similar in the slightest, Ashley and Amy have a good relationship at the start of the show. Ashley is the first person to figure out Amy is pregnant without being told directly. She convinces Amy to keep the baby in hopes that it will bring their family back together. Later into the show, Ashley tells her parents that she wants to be home-schooled. She takes the GED and ends up moving to Italy where she attends culinary school.
George Juergens
Father to Amy and Ashley, George often puts his own interests above those of his family. He owns a local furniture shop. Due to his affair, he now has two ex-wives: one being Anne and the other, Kathleen, who he was married to before Anne. He lied to Anne about having a vasectomy, and that is why the two share their son Robbie. He continually struggles on how to parent his two daughters. He does not like that they are growing up so quickly. George ends up getting back together with his ex-wife Kathleen, who had also remarried but got a divorce. Kathleen has a daughter named Grace, who is a friend of Amy’s from school and another child named Tom. George begins to spend more time with Kathleen’s children than his. This puts a strain on his relationship with his daughters. At the end of the show, it turns out that Robbie was not his son, but Anne’s ex-boyfriend’s.
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE According to Duvall, the Juergens fall under the developmental stage “families with adolescents.” This is a stage that is characterized by families having adolescent-aged children who still are apart of the family but are gaining independence. Amy and Ashley both yearn to make their own decisions but also rely on their family for support. When George and Anne get divorced, it is hard for the girls to feel connected as a family and thus accelerates their development. Amy has a new little family of her own and Ashley wants emancipation status. During this time, development of an active sexual life can create changes within a family. This is apparent through Amy’s pregnancy and Ashley’s sexual exploration. George and Anne want to maintain a family unit for the girls and communicate with and educate them to guide their futures. (Kaakinen, 2015; Pirooz Sholevar, 2010)
AMY’S TEENAGE PREGNANCY As mentioned, Amy becomes pregnant at age 15 after having sex for the first time the summer before starting high school. Ricky was a boy she briefly met at band camp at the cafeteria. He told her he wasn’t really boyfriend material but that they could do something ‘special’ that night. He came onto her strong and one thing led to another, and she became pregnant. She took a pregnancy test in her bedroom. After it read that it was positive, she panicked. She did not keep it a secret for long and told her two closest friends, Lauren and Madisen, at school the next day. Amy tries to avoid telling her parents for as long as possible and plans to get an abortion. She decides against the abortion, but still avoids telling her parents for awhile. Amy visits the pediatrician in order to confirm the pregnancy. The pediatrician encourages her to tell her parents so that she and baby can get the best care possible. She eventually does tell her parents and Ricky. Her parents are shocked but supportive. Anne enrolls her in birthing classes to prepare for labor, but Amy never goes. Amy also considers adoption but decides she wants to raise her baby. Amy’s age is apparent at the time of birth when she says she doesn’t know if she has a birth canal and doesn’t think she should be allowed to name the baby because she is a minor. It is evident that this situation is heavy on Amy and affects every aspect of her life. She is unable to enjoy high school as most teenagers do and she has heavy stress. Her family also feels stress from this. Specifically, Anne feels guilt for not providing her more education on sex. Some complications that can occur from teenage pregnancy include preterm labor, low birth weight, and infant mortality (Magill & Wilcox, 2007). This is likely due to not receiving adequate prenatal care, which includes taking supplements and visitations with a health care provider. Adolescent mothers can also face a wide variety of mental health disorders including depression and anxiety.
CULTURAL/RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS
COMMUNICATION Verbal
The Juergens display better communication after Amy reveals to the family that she is pregnant. Initially, Amy did not feel safe telling her parents because she had assumptions that they would be upset with her. At that time, George also keeps the secret that he is having an affair rather than verbalizing that he is unhappy in his marriage to Anne. Ashley is always communicative and does not hold back how she feels. Anne builds courage to stand up for herself when communicating with George. The family becomes open with each other as the show progresses.
Nonverbal
The family uses facial expressions to reveal how they are feeling. For example, the teenage girls often roll their eyes at their parents as a response to what is being said. They also communicate through touch. Hugging is often seen in the show. George and Anne are also touchy toward Amy when she is in labor; they hold her hand, rub her back, and hug her during contractions.
• • • • • •
Before the divorce, family dinner around the table was a tradition. When married, George and Anne take on traditional gender roles; George works while Anne is a stay-at-home mother. The family is in supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community as evident by the acceptance when Anne comes out as a lesbian. The Juergens are non-religious but have Christian influence from some members of their community. Amy attends a couple church events because her friend Grace is religious and very involved in a Christian church. Amy works at a church, but it not shown there often in the show.
STRENGTHS • •
• • • •
During her pregnancy, Amy is dating Ben who wants nothing more than for Amy to be happy, comfortable, and fully taken care of; her family supports this relationship. Amy and her family have a community of friends who support them and help them succeed. • ex: Lauren brings Amy’s homework to her house while she is home with morning sickness. Ricky wants to play an active role in his baby’s life. • Ricky gets a job at a butcher shop to support his son. Amy gets a job at the local church to bring in extra income. The job also offers free daycare and insurance. Amy lives with her father in her childhood home during her pregnancy and after the baby is born, so she has a familiar place of shelter. Baby boy is born healthy after a healthy pregnancy.
CHALLENGES • • • •
Amy must balance high school and extra curriculum activities while experiencing the symptoms of pregnancy. Once she has her baby, John, she must still complete school and consider how she will make a living to support him, causing a financial strain. For some time, Ricky and Amy fight over custodial arrangements. At that time, her family does not care for Ricky. George and Anne’s divorce has damaged Amy’s relationship with her parents. • Later in the show, Anne moves to Palm Springs and is unable to care for John. • It’s hard for Amy and Ashley to trust their father after he cheated. • George is more attentive to his new wife and her children.
FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY
Concept 1: All parts of the system are interconnected When Amy gets pregnant, all the members of the Juergen family are affected. Amy is affected most as her future is altered and is experiencing the symptoms of pregnancy. Ashley expresses that she feels like she has less attention from her parents. Anne became pregnant with Amy at 18; the two share a common experience so Anne feels guilt that she did not teach Amy better. She takes on a caregiver role. George is stressed about how Amy will provide for baby and herself, and he fears Ashley will follow in her footsteps. Concept 2: The whole is more than the some of its parts Amy’s pregnancy is a reason why George and Anne try to make their marriage work. They want to lessen the stress their daughter is experiencing so they attempt to remain a family unit. This appeases Ashley, who has unrealistic expectations for the family. After suffering from the trauma of an affair, Anne is having a hard time living with George. Their on-and-off relationship is hard on everyone in the family. Concept 3: All systems have some form of boundaries or borders between the system and its environment The Juergens family has flexible boundaries. For example, when Ben is dating Amy during her pregnancy, the family is accepting of any financial support that he or his wealthy father want to provide Amy. When Ricky decides he wants to be in Amy’s life, they do not approve of his support due to his irresponsible actions in the past. Concept 4: Systems can be further organized into subsystems The subsystems in the Juergen family include husband to wife (to later being ex-husband to ex-wife), father to child, mother to child, and child to child. (Kaakinen et al., 2015)
OUTCOMES
1.
Amy and her family will identify their feelings and methods for coping with negative perception of themselves and their abilities by the end of the appointment.
2.
Amy will verbalize increased sense of self-esteem in relation to pregnancy by the end of the appointment.
3.
Amy and her family will demonstrate adaption to changes by setting realistic goals and actively participating in meeting their needs by the end of the appointment.
INTERVENTIONS 1.
Establish a therapeutic nurse-family relationship. Adolescents needs a non-judgmental adult in order to feel comfortable enough to be open. Families will have peace of mind if the patient trusts the nurse. To establish trust and cooperation, actively listen to the patient and their family, be honest, and remain respectful.
2.
Discuss ways to promote positive self-image and recognition of positive aspects of the pregnancy. Pregnancy can drastically change both one’s body and mood. Suggest expression through clothing that make the patient feel good. Promote exercise and a balanced diet to help physical and mental health.
3.
Discuss with the family appropriate adaption techniques and the communication skills to implement these techniques. Role playing can be used to learn skills of adaption and communication; it promotes information retention. (Ackley et al., 2018; Kaakinen et al., 2015)
REFERENCES Ackley, B., Ladwig, G., Flynn, M., Martinez-Kratz, M., & Zanotti, M. (2018). Nursing diagnosis handbook: An evidence-based guide to planning care (12 th ed.). Elsevier. Kaakinen, J., Duff-Gedaly, V., Hanson, S., & Coelho, D. (2015). Family health care nursing: Theory, practice, and research (5 th ed.). F.A. Davis. Magill, M. & Wilcox, R. (2007). Adolescent pregnancy and associated risks: Not just a result of maternal age. Am Fam Physician, 75(9), 1310-1311. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2007/0501/p1310.html Pirooz Sholevar, C. (2010). Family development and lifecycle. Child Psychiatry, 2(5), 1-9. Images Amy & Anne Juergens [Image]. (2009). Retrieved from https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/38114/secret-life-of-the-american-teenager-season-two-the/ Amy, George, & John [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://secretlife.fandom.com/wiki/The_Big_One Amy Juergens title page [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_the_American_Teenager_(season_5) Amy Juergens pregnancy test [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3c/03/2f/3c032ff607cec47998a64fd07560642b.jpg Amy Juergens pregnant [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/14200000/Amy-amy-juergens-14263275-800-1015.jpg Anne & Ashley Juergens hugging [Image]. (2008). Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/arts/television/01stan.html Family [3 Images] (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.famousfix.com/topic/anne-juergens/photos Family dinner [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hulu.com/series/the-secret-life-of-the-american-teenager-bf585056-06b3-4408-a002-f99c413a4132 George & Ashley Juergens [Image]. Retrieved from https://www4.fusionmovies.to/character/3cEYi5a0nc/george-juergens Juergen family [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fanpop.com/clubs/amy-juergens/images/8839939/title/secret-life-hq-pics-photo The Secret Life of the American Teenager Main Characters [5 Images]. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://secretlife.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Main_Character s