The pregnancy assistance fund: launching programs to support expectant and parenting youth
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Author(s):
- Person, Ann E., author Clary, Elizabeth, author Zief, Susan, author Adamek, Katie, author Caplan, Valerie, author Worthington, Julie, author
- Contributor(s):
- United States. Department of Health and Human Services, issuing body. United States. Office of Adolescent Health, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Rockville, MD : Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Adolescent Health, February 2018
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Government Programs Parenting Pregnancy in Adolescence -- prevention & control United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Over the past 25 years, social policy efforts have focused on the prevention of unplanned and teen pregnancy, and the birth rate for women ages 15 to 19 has decreased steadily, with rates declining for both younger and older teenagers and across all races and ethnicities (Hamilton et al. 2015; Martin et al. 2017). For example, between 1991 and 2015, the birth rate for teens ages 15 to 17 declined by 74 percent, from 38.6 to 9.9 live births per 1,000 young women in the age group. For the group age 18 to 19, the rate declined by 57 percent, from 94.0 to 40.7 live births per 1,000. In 2015, the birth rate for women ages 15 to 19 was 16 among whites, 31.8 among African Americans, and 34.9 among Hispanics--down, respectively, from 43.4, 118.2, and 104.6 in 1991. Despite these declines, nearly 250,000 babies were born to adolescent mothers in the United States in 2015 (Martin et al. 2017), and teen births continue to reflect, and perpetuate, economic and social disadvantage. Having a child at a young age can impact young mothers' and fathers' transitions to adulthood, placing them and their children at risk of adverse outcomes. Becoming a teen parent increases young women's risk of dropout, decreases their educational attainment, and limits their development of employment skills (Hoffman and Maynard 2008). Early childbearing also affects young parents' relationships, with teen mothers less likely to marry and more likely to experience multi-partner fertility and future family instability than are older mothers (Hoffman and Maynard 2008; Ryan et al. 2004); such family instability increases maternal and child poverty throughout the life course (Johnson and Favreault 2004). Young fathers are also affected because early employment to support a child can affect their long-term educational and economic success (Brien and Willis 2008). The children of young parents also face obstacles. They are more often the target of abuse and neglect and are more likely to be placed in foster care than are children of older mothers (Goerge et al. 2008). Children of teen mothers also show lower cognitive and language skills early in childhood, leading to poorer school performance and higher dropout rates, continuing the cycle of social and economic insecurity (Hoffman and Maynard 2008; Terry-Humen et al. 2005; Manlove et al. 2008). In cases where prevention efforts are absent or have failed, policies can be structured to support adolescents facing the daunting challenges posed by having and raising a child of their own.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (v, 23, A-24, B-3 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101777643 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101777643