The Miseducation of the Teenage Mother and Intergenerational Pregnancies

The Miseducation of the Teenage Mother

and

Intergenerational Pregnancies

Background

The past two decades have shown a decline in adolescent pregnancy but today, the United States continues to hold the number one position for highest adolescent pregnancy rates among developed countries.1 Research has found that about two in every five teenage girls become pregnant before the age of twenty years old.2 The recurrence of early childhood bearing now reaches up to 900,000 pregnancies each year in the United States.1 The various factors associated with high prevalence of teenage motherhood can be seen among communities affected by low socioeconomic status, a lack of education, and more interestingly, a new found correlation between the history of intergenerational, teenage childhood bearing with the family.2 Communities facing these problems continue to sustain such high statistical values for teenage pregnancy and have created a vicious cycle which is then adopted by following generations. Adolescent pregnancy not only creates a toll on the family, but also has adverse health effects on the child and society.

The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is four times higher than the developed European countries, such as France and Germany.3 Latina and black women make up the largest part of teen pregnancy because these groups have highly disproportionate cases of births at the early ages of 13 to 18 years old.3 These groups also face the highest rates of low socioeconomic status and low levels of education which together aggravate the pregnancy problem. An approximated 60% of females live in poverty at the time of childbearing and lack the knowledge or resources to survive economically or prevent yet another pregnancy.2 ...

... middle of paper ...

...een Adolescent Pregnancy And a Family History of Teenage Births. Perspectives On Sexual & Reproductive Health [serial online]. June 2007;39(2):108-115. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 18, 2014.

Hayes L. 13b: Teenage pregnancy--prevention and intervention. Practice Nurse [serial online]. November 28, 2003;26(9):63. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 18, 2014.

Hoffman, S. D., & Maynard, R. A. (Eds.). (2008). Kids having kids: Economic costs and social consequences of teen pregnancy (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.

Petersen J, Atkinson P, Petrie S, Gibin M, Ashby D, Longley P. Teenage pregnancy—New tools to support local health campaigns. Health & Place [serial online]. March 2009;15(1):300-307. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 18, 2014.