The Effects of Teen Pregnancy on Children

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There are many obstacles for children of teenage mothers to face. These children have serious disadvantages in contrast to those children who come from nuclear families. Often they lack a father figure, have a high poverty rate, and there are incidents of depression and mental health problems. Many people are blaming the sex education programs in schools and the additional federal aid being offered to single parents as major causes for the country’s high rate of teen pregnancies (Carole). Although, the real purpose of sex education and federal aid is to help empower the mother and child so they can eventually lead productive lives.

The lack of a father figure in the home is the cause of many major problems, which builds into a chain reaction. The child may suffer emotional problems when there is no father present; these problems may be hazardous to their future. Many children tend to be effected mentally because these powerful emotions have the potential to do permanent damage to the child’s life. Children who do not have a father present in the home often feel unloved. Parental rejection is a very traumatizing event in a child’s life. “Children who lack a father figure in the home may experience sadness and depression, aggressive behavior, frequent illness, difficulty in school, eating problems, and sleeping disorders” (Jacobs).

Males and females are affected differently by the absence of a father. To be able to learn how to become a man, a boy needs a male role model in his life. Oftentimes, children choose unpleasant characters to mold themselves after if they do not have a good role model. Males that grow up in one-parent homes may gain negative personality traits like immaturity, laziness, and disrespect f...

... middle of paper ...

...en resort to drugs and crime as outlets. These outlets lead to dead-end jobs, jail, and sometimes early death for single parent children. Many of these children end up having kids of their own at an early age; therefore carrying on the vicious cycle of poverty, poor education, joblessness, and lack of hope for the future.

Bibliography:

Carole, Morgan, George N. Chapar, and Martin Fisher. “Variables Associated With Teen

Pregnancy.” Adolescence. June 1, 1995: NA. Electric Library. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015.

Jacobs, Joanne. “Children Who Are Having Children.” San Jose Mercury News.

Apr. 2, 1989: 7C. SIRS Knowledge Source. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015.

Young, Tamera M., et al. “Internal Poverty and Teen Pregnancy.” Adolescence. Vol. 36

(Summer 2001): 16. EBSCOhost. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015.

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