Children Of Teenage Mothers Research Articles

Mitigating adverse social determinants of health in the vulnerable population: Insights from a home visitation programme.

Low-income families are exposed to adverse childhood experiences and psychosocial risks that impact child development. At the KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore, Kids Integrated Development Service (KIDS0-3) is a home visitation programme that aims to optimise the development of children from low-income families. Data comprising family demographics, maternal psychosocial risks and outcomes of child development were collated through a chart review of 469 mother-child dyads enrolled from June 2014 to October 2022. Based on the Family and Adult Support Tool, 312 families (67%) were identified as moderate or high-risk. Children from moderate and high-risk families had poorer Bayley cognitive (mean 95.88 [SD 8.25] versus [vs] 98.44 [SD 8.72], P=0.014) and language scores (mean 87.38 [SD 10.35] vs 90.43 [SD 9.61], P=0.016] at 24 months of age, compared to the low-risk group. Children of teenage mothers had lower Bayley cognitive scores (mean 95.16 [SD 8.42] vs 97.76 [SD 8.55], P=0.037), and children of mothers who experienced sexual abuse had lower Bayley cognitive scores (mean 93.1 [SD 5.68] vs 99.7 [SD 8.17], P=0.013) and language scores (mean 82.3 [SD 12.87] vs 91.3 [SD 10.86], P=0.021]. Antenatal enrolment yielded better child language (mean 90.1 [SD 9.37] vs 87.13 [SD 10.79], P=0.04) and motor outcomes (mean 99.62 [SD 9.45] vs 94.72 [SD 9.51], P=0 .001) than postnatal enrolment. Psychosocial risks impact the development of children from low-income families in Singapore. Findings underscore the importance of early, integrated intervention for vulnerable families.

Mitigating adverse social determinants of health in the vulnerable population: Insights from a home visitation programme

Introduction: Low-income families are exposed to adverse childhood experiences and psychosocial risks that impact child development. At the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore, Kids Integrated Development Service (KIDS0-3) is a home visitation programme that aims to optimise the development of children from low-income families. Method: Data comprising family demographics, maternal psychosocial risks and outcomes of child development were collated through a chart review of 469 mother-child dyads enrolled from June 2014 to October 2022. Results: Based on the Family and Adult Support Tool, 312 families (67%) were identified as moderate or high-risk. Children from moderate and high-risk families had poorer Bayley cognitive (mean 95.88 [SD 8.25] versus [vs] 98.44 [SD 8.72], P=0.014) and language scores (mean 87.38 [SD 10.35] vs 90.43 [SD 9.61], P=0.016] at 24 months of age, compared to the low-risk group. Children of teenage mothers had lower Bayley cognitive scores (mean 95.16 [SD 8.42] vs 97.76 [SD 8.55], P=0.037), and children of mothers who experienced sexual abuse had lower Bayley cognitive scores (mean 93.1 [SD 5.68] vs 99.7 [SD 8.17], P=0.013) and language scores (mean 82.3 [SD 12.87] vs 91.3 [SD 10.86], P=0.021]. Antenatal enrolment yielded better child language (mean 90.1 [SD 9.37] vs 87.13 [SD 10.79], P=0.04) and motor outcomes (mean 99.62 [SD 9.45] vs 94.72 [SD 9.51], P=0 .001) than postnatal enrolment. Conclusion: Psychosocial risks impact the development of children from low-income families in Singapore. Findings underscore the importance of early, integrated intervention for vulnerable families.

Assessing the Level of Evidence for Interventions Used for Repeat Pregnancy in Teens for Possible Integration Into Evidence-Based Practice: A Review of Literature for Studies Carried out in the US From 1990 - 2021

Background: Repeat teen pregnancy among adolescents represents an important public health challenge worldwide as well as in the USA. Repeat teen pregnancy negatively impacts teen mother and the child, in enormous ways. It can cause emotional, psychological and educational challenges, as well as affect the life and opportunities of young mothers and their children. The children of teenage mothers are more likely to have lower school achievement and to drop out of high school, have more health problems, be incarcerated at some time during adolescence, give birth as a teenager, and face unemployment as a young adult.Understanding the levels of evidence of the interventions for adolescent repeat pregnancy can provide guidance to health practitioners and decision makers in selecting an intervention.The aim of this review is to assess the level of evidence of repeat pregnancy interventions conducted in the U.S. (United States) for possible integration into evidence-based practice.Methods: We focused on articles conducted in the U.S. and published between 1990 and 2021. We searched for articles in: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, EMBASE, Social Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index, Dissertations, Abstracts Online, PsycINFO, CINAHL, POPLINE, and the reference lists of articles.Research Question: ‘What are the levels of evidence for interventions for teen repeat pregnancy?’ Selection criteria: We included and evaluated any intervention that aimed to promote spacing of 2nd birth and reduced repeat teen pregnancies in adolescents ages 13 –19 years. Results: We retrieved fifty-two (52) primary repeat pregnancy intervention studies conducted in the U.S. from 1990 to 2021. Twenty-five (25) interventions met the inclusion criteria and were statistically significant. There were 12 randomized control studies that were statistically significant and met Level I evidence. Six (6) Quasi-experimental studies that were statistically significant and met Level II evidence. There were five (5) Cohort studies that were statistically significant, one prospective and four retrospective studies and met Level III evidence. Two descriptive studies of Level IV evidence.Conclusion: Interventions, can be categorized into: home visitation, peer support, school based and comprehensive interventions including contraceptive use. There were also disparities in the intervention follow-ups, components, study location, statistical analyses and persons conducting the intervention. These disparities, made it difficult to compare and contrast the different interventions. We were able to successfully assign Levels of evidence to each intervention. We identified Twelve (12) Level I; Six(6) Level II; five (5) Level III and two (2) Level IV.

Christchurch City Libraries ‘Ready for Reading’

This paper reports on the experiences of the Evaluation Team, comprised of experienced librarians from the Christchurch City Libraries and primary teacher educators (from Canterbury University) as they planned and implemented interventions working with the children of teen mothers (one marginalised cohort within a wider study). In particular it focuses on the Christchurch City Libraries’ (CCL) use of the Ready for Reading kit (R4R) to provide an intervention for a group of non-library users. It explores the diversity of strengths within the Research Evaluation Team and describes the challenges faced, and resilience required as they focused on motivating non-library using parents to support their children’s literacy development. Strengths of a multidisciplinary team are explored and how the ingredients of community connections and passion for literacy, together with clear knowledge of the reading process, were needed to develop interventions that would meet the needs of the target groups by supporting children’s transition into school.

Time Dimension of Childhood Adversities and Externalizing Behavior Among Children of Teen Mothers: Sensitive Period Hypothesis vs. Accumulation Hypothesis.

Childhood adversities are associated with compromised behavioral health later in life. However, less attention has been paid to how time contributes to the damaging effects of adversity exposure. In addition, the differential impact of childhood maltreatment and household dysfunction has been understudied. The current study tested (a) the sensitive period hypothesis regarding timing of childhood adversity on externalizing behavior, (b) the accumulation hypothesis regarding the associations between the duration of childhood adversity and externalizing behavior, and (c) the domain-specific impact of childhood adversity on externalizing behavior. Data came from the Young Women and Child Development Study (N = 240). Childhood adversity was measured at seven periods (age range: 5.5-16), which were used to test the sensitive period hypothesis. Childhood adversity at each time period was summed across seven time periods to test the accumulation measure representing the duration of childhood adversity. Least angle and multiple regression analyses were conducted. Results supported the sensitive period hypothesis-the effect of childhood adversity was the most prominent at age 11.5, whereas the accumulation of childhood adversity time periods was not a significant predictor of later externalizing behavior. Probing childhood adversity by subdomains revealed maltreatment primarily accounted for externalizing behavior (p < .05). Findings suggest intervention efforts for children of teen mothers during early adolescence to prevent externalizing behavior in later adolescence. Unpacking childhood adversity may illuminate key areas of vulnerability to externalizing behavior.

Grandparents, Moms, or Dads? Why Children of Teen Mothers Do Worse in Life

Women who give birth as teens have worse subsequent educational and labor market outcomes than women who have first births at older ages. However, previous research has attributed much of these effects to selection rather than a causal effect of teen childbearing. Despite this, there are still reasons to believe that children of teen mothers may do worse as their mothers may be less mature, have fewer financial resources when the child is young, and may partner with fathers of lower quality. Using Norwegian register data, we compare outcomes of children of sisters who have first births at different ages. Our evidence suggests that the causal effect of being a child of a teen mother is much smaller than that implied by the cross-sectional differences but that there are probably still significant long-term, adverse consequences, especially for children born to the youngest teen mothers. Unlike previous research, we have information on fathers and find that negative selection of fathers of children born to teen mothers plays an important role in producing inferior child outcomes. These effects are particularly large for mothers from higher socio- economic groups. Our data also enable us to examine the effect of age at first birth across a range of maternal ages. Importantly, while we find that child outcomes are worst for those born to teen mothers, outcomes improve with mothers' age at first birth until mothers are in their mid-20s and then flatten out.

Grandparents, Moms, or Dads? Why Children of Teen Mothers Do Worse in Life

Women who give birth as teens have worse subsequent educational and labor market outcomes than women who have first births at older ages. However, previous research has attributed much of these effects to selection rather than a causal effect of teen childbearing. Despite this, there are still reasons to believe that children of teen mothers may do worse as their mothers may be less mature, have fewer financial resources when the child is young, and may partner with fathers of lower quality. Using Norwegian register data, we compare outcomes of children of sisters who have first births at different ages. Our evidence suggests that the causal effect of being a child of a teen mother is much smaller than that implied by the cross-sectional differences but that there are probably still significant long-term, adverse consequences, especially for children born to the youngest teen mothers. Unlike previous research, we have information on fathers and find that negative selection of fathers of children born to teen mothers plays an important role in producing inferior child outcomes. These effects are particularly large for mothers from higher socio- economic groups. Our data also enable us to examine the effect of age at first birth across a range of maternal ages. Importantly, while we find that child outcomes are worst for those born to teen mothers, outcomes improve with mothers' age at first birth until mothers are in their mid-20s and then flatten out.

Teen mothers' educational attainment and their children's risk for teenage childbearing.

The children of teen mothers are at elevated risk for becoming teen parents themselves. The current study aimed to identify how levels of mothers' education were associated with risk of teenage childbearing for children of teen versus nonteen mothers. Through structural equation modeling, we tested whether children's environmental and personal characteristics in adolescence and subsequent sexual risk behaviors mediated the relationship between their mothers' educational attainment and their risk for teenage childbearing. With multiple-group models, we assessed whether the associations of maternal educational attainment with children's outcomes were similar for the children of teen and nonteen mothers. The sample (N = 1,817) contained linked data from female National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 (NLSY79) participants and their first-born child (son or daughter) from the NLSY79 Children and Young Adults. The mediating pathways linking higher levels of maternal education to lower risk for teenage childbearing, and magnitudes of the associations, were mostly similar for children of teen and nonteen mothers. However, nonteen mothers experienced greater associations of their high school diploma attainment (vs. no degree) with some of their children's outcomes. Also, the association of earning a high school diploma (vs. a GED) with household incomes was greater for nonteen mothers; there was no significant difference between degree types for teen mothers. Findings provide support for teen mother secondary school support programming, but point to a need for further research regarding the long-term behavioral and social outcomes associated with the high school equivalency certificate for teen mothers and their children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Coparenting Conflict and Academic Readiness in Children of Teen Mothers: Effortful Control as a Mediator

Children's exposure to coparenting conflict has important implications for their developmental functioning, yet limited work has focused on such processes in families with diverse structures or ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds. This longitudinal study examined the processes by which Mexican-origin adolescent mothers' coparenting conflict with their 3-year-old children's grandmothers and biological fathers (N=133 families) were linked to children's academic and social skills at 5years of age, and whether children's effortful control at 4years of age mediated the link between coparenting conflict and indices of children's academic readiness. Findings revealed that adolescent mothers' coparenting conflict with their child's biological father was linked to indices of children's academic and social school readiness through children's effortful control among girls, but not boys, whereas conflict with grandmothers was directly linked to boys' and girls' social functioning 2years later. Findings offer information about different mechanisms by which multiple coparenting units in families of adolescent mothers are related to their children's outcomes, and this work has important implications for practitioners working with families of adolescent mothers.

LIFE CHANCES OF CHILDREN OF ADOLESCENT MOTHERS IN BENIN CITY

The life chances of children of adolescents’ mothers are exposed to superior risk from birth to even their general well-being in the society at large. It is based on this note that this study – the life chances of children of adolescent mothers and the implications of teenage pregnancy to the mother and the child and the socio-economic effects as well as educational, medical and psychological effects of adolescents parenting on the child were critically examined. The study adopted the attachment theory as the theoretical framework. The sampled size consisted of 124 respondents selected through the snowball sampling technique, while the mean, standard deviation and Z-test served as the statistical tools used in explaining the life chances of the children of adolescent and adult mothers. The study revealed that children of adult mothers have access to good nutrition, medical facilities than their counterparts. In other words, children of teenage mothers do not have equal life chances with children of adult mothers. On the basis of these findings, the study recommends that government should provide welfare schemes and public assistance to adolescent mothers because their children are more likely to encounter increased prevalence of health problems. Proper sensitization might also indicate the success of widespread health care programmes that are designed to increase providers’ contact with teenage mothers and their children.

A prospective study of adolescent mothers’ social competence, children's effortful control and compliance and children's subsequent developmental outcomes

AbstractPrevious work has established that caregiver and child temperamental characteristics are associated with child compliance. Given the critical role that parents play in this process, and that children of teen mothers are at risk for poorer developmental outcomes, it is important to understand the development of compliance in the context of at‐risk parenting such as adolescent motherhood. The current study examined child compliance (Wave 5; W5) as a mediator of the association between adolescent mothers’ social competence (Wave 4; W4) and children's behavioral and academic outcomes (Wave 6; W6), and whether this mediation varied depending on children's effortful control (W4) in a sample of 204 Mexican‐origin adolescent mothers (Mage at W4 = 19.94, SD = .99) and their children (Mage at W4 = 36.21 months, SD = .45). Adolescent mothers reported on their own social competence and their children's effortful control and externalizing problems; compliance was assessed using observational methods; and academic readiness was assessed using standardized developmental assessments. Findings based on structural equation modeling revealed that adolescent mothers’ social competence was positively related to children's compliance among children with high effortful control, but not among those with low effortful control. Moreover, child compliance mediated the longitudinal association between adolescent mothers’ social competence and child externalizing problems and academic readiness. Discussion focuses on the importance of considering the role of child temperament in understanding how adolescent mothers’ social competence is subsequently associated with children's social and academic adjustment.

A Collaborative Approach to Early Identification and Referral of Children Who are in Family Childcare Settings, Birth to Five, Born to Teenage Mothers

Children of teenage mothers are at high risk for developmental delays, intellectual and learning disabilities, behavior disorders and school related problems [1]. Early identification and referral into prevention or early intervention programs may ameliorate that risk. Children of teen mothers who are in family childcare may not have access to routine developmental and behavioral screenings that would lead to early identification and referral. Members of an early childhood advisory board collaborated to conduct a screening event using the ASQ-3® and the ASQ:SE® at a local children’s museum for 26 children of teen mothers who had no previous access to developmental screenings. Parents completed the questionnaires while playing with their children at the museum. Nine of the children scored well within the range of typical development and 17 scored at or beyond the cut-off scores on the ASQ-3 and/or the ASQ:SE. Each child who scored at or beyond the cut-off received referrals for evaluation, parent and child programming and/or family support services. When there were concerns, families also received care coordination while all families received activities and a child’s book. The implications for this study suggest that collaborative efforts are effective in providing access to developmental screenings and referral into subsequent services for at-risk young children who are in family childcare settings.

Teenage parenthood and child externalising and internalising problems: evidence from the ‘Growing Up in Ireland’ study

Previous research has suggested that the children of teenage parents are at a high risk of developing both internalising and externalising behaviour disorders. The current study aimed to explore pathways through which children of teenage mothers show more externalising and internalising psychopathology than their peers whose parents were older. The present study used data from the first wave of the ‘Growing Up in Ireland’ 9-year-old cohort and employed structural equation modelling to assess the explanatory value of a model informed by previous research findings. Goodness-of-fit indices indicated that many aspects of the familial environment of Irish teenage families did indeed place children at a substantial risk of problematic developmental outcomes. In particular, the results implicated the influential power of economic stability and familial conflict on the well-being of teenage families and related child outcomes, results similar to those reported in international studies.

Teenage Pregnancy and Education in Nigeria: A Philo-Sociological Management Strategy

The focus of the 2013 World Population Day on July 11, was on “Adolescent Pregnancy”. This indicates that teenage pregnancy has global effects and implications. It has become a global problem that need be tackled through multi-sectoral approach. However, in Nigeria statistics reveals that this is a serious problem to our development as a country. This is because the relationship between teenage pregnancy and education goes in both directions. Teenagers who become pregnant are more likely to drop out of school and the teenagers that drop out of school are more likely to become pregnant. Again, the children of teen mothers are less likely to graduate from tertiary institutions (post-secondary institutions) than the children of those whose parents were older as at the time of childbearing. However, education in several ways can assist in the reduction of teenage pregnancy. This argument is anchored on the logic that education can confront and curb the various socio-economic problems that produce the fertile social conditions that aid teenage pregnancy. The paper advocates that a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach should be adopted in tackling this social and ethical menace that have the potentials to disrupt and distort the nation’s developmental frameworks. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n3p41

Effect of teenage motherhood on cognitive outcomes in children: a population-based cohort study

ObjectiveTo examine the association between teenage motherhood and cognitive development at 5 years.DesignData from Millennium Cohort Study, a prospective, nationally representative UK cohort of 18 818 infants born between 2000...

Do Factors Other than SES Explain Differences in Child Outcomes Between Children of Teenage and Older Mothers for Off-Reserve First Nations Children?

This study used data from the Aboriginal Children’s Survey (ACS) to explore differences in behavioural outcomes for First Nations children born to teen and older mothers living off-reserve in Canada. Of particular interest was an examination of socio-economic and contextual influences, and their contributions to differences in child outcomes. Findings from this study demonstrate that off-reserve First Nations children born to teen mothers (aged 12 - 19 years when they started childbearing) had poorer behavioural outcomes compared to off-reserve First Nations children born to older mothers (aged 25 and over when they started childbearing). These differences were found for emotional symptoms, inattention and hyperactivity, and conduct disorder scores, but not for prosocial behaviours. Contextual factors differed for children born to teen mothers as compared to older mothers, but parenting behaviors and the number of people involved in raising the child was similar for both groups. While differences in the behaviour of children born to teen mothers are often attributed to poorer socio-economic conditions, this study demonstrates that other contextual factors (e.g., breastfeeding, social support, screen time, residential mobility) may be as important as socio-economic factors in their contribution to the behavioural outcomes of children of teen mothers.

The impact of early intervention on the school readiness of children born to teenage mothers

This study examined the effect of participation in the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program on the school readiness of children born to teenage mothers versus children born to traditional-age mothers participating in the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program. A 45-item survey was collected from the kindergarten teachers of both the children of teenage mothers in the Texas Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program and a matched control group. The survey consisted of five subsections: socioemotional development, approaches to learning, physical development, language development, and general knowledge. Results of independent samples t-tests indicated no statistical difference between the two groups. These results seem to suggest that the curriculum used by the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program, which focuses on supporting parents as their child’s first teacher, helps to mitigate any potential negative effects on being a child of a teenage mother.

Explaining the Early Development and Health of Teen Mothers' Children.

The transmission of social disadvantage from teenage mothers to their children is well established, but when and why do these disparities emerge in the early life course? Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, this study investigated the relationship between teen childbearing and children's cognition, behavior, and health from infancy through preschool. Developmental disparities between teenage mothers' children and others were largely nonexistent at 9 months but accumulated with age. Having a teenage mother predicted compromised development across several domains by age 4½. Our conceptual model expected preexisting disadvantage, ongoing resource disadvantage, and compromised parenting quality to explain the association between teen childbearing and child outcomes. Preexisting social disadvantage accounted for much of this relationship. Financial, social, and material resources in the child's household partially or fully explained each of the remaining significant relationships between teenage childbearing and child outcomes. Parenting quality explained a smaller proportion of these relationships than did resources, and these factors' influences were largely independent. Because children of teenage mothers with a modest set of resources were not predicted to have compromised development, resources provided in early childhood may have the potential to reduce developmental disparities for teenage mothers' children.

The health and development of children born to older mothers in the United Kingdom: observational study using longitudinal cohort data

Objective To assess relations between children’s health and development and maternal age.Design Observational study of longitudinal cohorts.Setting Millennium Cohort Study (a random sample of UK children) and the National Evaluation...

Fathering the Children of Teenage Mothers: The Need for Procreative Consciousness and Responsibility

Teenage birthrates remain higher in the United States than any other developed country. While there is broad consensus that teenage pregnancy is a major societal problem, the fathers of these children usually receive little attention. The purpose of this study is to provide understanding about the procreative consciousness and responsibility of 14 young fathers. The findings indicate that they have not learned much, if anything, about sex from their parents or schools. Their sexual activities seem to reveal little concern about preventing unwanted pregnancy. Yet, the reality of new offspring in their lives seems to awaken some deeper parental instincts and more conscientiousness about the connections among sex, pregnancy, and parental responsibility. Numerous suggestions are offered to help young fathers.