Emily Ruedinger1, Joanne E Cox. 1. Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Adolescent childbearing in the United States continues to occur at high rates compared with other industrialized nations, despite a recent decline. Adolescent mothers and their offspring are at risk for negative outcomes. Recent literature exploring the consequences of teenage childbearing and interventions to ameliorate these consequences are presented. RECENT FINDINGS: Negative consequences of adolescent childbearing can impact mothers and their offspring throughout the lifespan. These consequences are likely attributable to social and environmental factors rather than solely to maternal age. Increasing educational attainment, preventing repeat pregnancy and improving mother-child interactions can improve outcomes for mothers and their children. Home, community, school and clinic-based programs are all viable models of service delivery to this population. SUMMARY: Connecting teen mothers with comprehensive services to meet their social, economic, health and educational needs can potentially improve long-term outcomes for both mothers and their offspring. Programs that deliver care to this population in culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate ways have demonstrated success. Future investigation of parenting interventions with larger sample sizes and that assess multiple outcomes will allow comparison among programs. Explorations of the role of the father and coparenting are also directions for future research.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Adolescent childbearing in the United States continues to occur at high rates compared with other industrialized nations, despite a recent decline. Adolescent mothers and their offspring are at risk for negative outcomes. Recent literature exploring the consequences of teenage childbearing and interventions to ameliorate these consequences are presented. RECENT FINDINGS: Negative consequences of adolescent childbearing can impact mothers and their offspring throughout the lifespan. These consequences are likely attributable to social and environmental factors rather than solely to maternal age. Increasing educational attainment, preventing repeat pregnancy and improving mother-child interactions can improve outcomes for mothers and their children. Home, community, school and clinic-based programs are all viable models of service delivery to this population. SUMMARY: Connecting teen mothers with comprehensive services to meet their social, economic, health and educational needs can potentially improve long-term outcomes for both mothers and their offspring. Programs that deliver care to this population in culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate ways have demonstrated success. Future investigation of parenting interventions with larger sample sizes and that assess multiple outcomes will allow comparison among programs. Explorations of the role of the father and coparenting are also directions for future research.
Authors: Somsook Santibenchakul; Mary Tschann; Alyssa Dee P Carlson; Eric L Hurwitz; Jennifer Salcedo Journal: J Midwifery Womens Health Date: 2018-12-20 Impact factor: 2.388
Authors: Molly Rosenberg; Audrey Pettifor; William C Miller; Harsha Thirumurthy; Michael Emch; Sulaimon A Afolabi; Kathleen Kahn; Mark Collinson; Stephen Tollman Journal: Int J Epidemiol Date: 2015-02-24 Impact factor: 7.196