Adolescent Parenthood : An Issue Of Public Concern For Many Years

Teen pregnancy continues to be a problem in America even though the CDC documents a decrease from 2007-2009 in all racial groups. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Reducing the number of pregnancies in teens 15-17 is a core indicator identified by Healthy People 2020 to assess the status of adolescent health. Children born to teens are at risk for health concerns from being of low birth weight and having poor prenatal care such as delayed development. (Magness, 2012). Repeat pregnancy, dependence on welfare, and poverty are some of the results of adolescent pregnancy. Teen mothers tend to have health problems such as hypertension, and anemia and are at high risk for early delivery. Magness looks at the issue from the teen’s viewpoint and discusses the idea that some teens become pregnant to provide stability in an otherwise chaotic life and can gain maturity from the experience. Emphasis on continuing their education after delivery can prevent repeat pregnancies. Lack of productive or positive social activities or guidance can leave room for a teen to indulge in risky behavior to occupy their time. Peer pressure and influence from present day norms can cause teenagers to give in to early onset of sexual activity (Kirven, 2014). Finding after school or extracurricular activities can promote a healthier self

Teenage birth rates, defined as live births per one thousand 15-19-year-old US females, declined by 10% from 2012 to 2013 from 29.4 to 26.5. In fact, the birth rate has been on a steady decline over the past 20 years, from 61.8 in 1991 to 26.5 in 2013. Teenage pregnancy represents both a health and social inequality in our society. Specifically, teenage childbearing is a public health issue because teenage mothers are more likely to experience negative social outcomes such as dropping out of school. This is a self-reinforcing cycle, as children of teenage mothers face higher chances of poor academic achievement as well as getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant in their teenage years (CDC). Although the overall rates of teenage pregnancy have dropped, ultimately, the variations in the rates reflect the intersecting disparities regarding race and ethnicity, income inequality, geography, and environmental factors, which in turn affect access to medical care, education, and resources.

Teenage pregnancy and parenthood are often seen as strictly negative and problematic, with the moral panic surrounding them only growing as media and government play a role in perpetuating these ideas of negativity surrounding them. Though it is a contentious issue, what are often ignored are the underlying causes of the social phenomena that are teenage pregnancy and parenthood. The experiences of poverty and social exclusion by many pregnant teens and teen parents have not been proven to be more severe than what these young people were experiencing before, so it brings into question the validity of the moral panic as well as the aims of programs meant to decrease teen pregnancy and parenthood. Looking at teen pregnancy and parenthood, first

Americans take great pride in their leadership among nations. Such a distinction becomes embarrassing however when the title is claimed for the highest teenage pregnancy rate of any developed nation with nearly one million pregnancies each year. There has been extensive research on the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy which has yielded important information about pregnancy rates and risk factors. Researchers concur that pregnancy is a time of dramatic transition. A first time pregnancy propels the mother from the status of woman to mother. While these changes are noteworthy for the adult woman confronting pregnancy, their effect is frequently magnified when the expecting mother is an adolescent. Adolescent childbearing has become a

Adolescent pregnancy is a widely researched and debated topic in psychology. Teen pregnancy rates in the United States have dropped significantly over the last two decades from 6.2% in 1990 to 2.7% in 2013, a 56% decrease, for women aged 15-19. Despite the sharp decline, concerns about the consequences of adolescent childbearing have not decreased.

Research has outlined that “teen mothers have lower levels of socioeconomic attainment than their childless peers: they are less likely to complete high school, attend college, or earn a bachelor’s degree, and they tend to earn less and are more likely to experience poverty” (INFORMATION). Another social work perspective focuses on the stress associated with a rapid role transition. “Specifically, an accelerated transition to motherhood may result in adverse psychological effects for the teen”(INFORMATION) Research suggests that some young teens view the role of motherhood as a positive turning point in their lives. That is can be motivating and help to avoid delinquency, return to school, and search for employment. Further Research also has found that some young teen mothers expierence a heightened sense of responsibility and stability. It is suggested these positive expiernece occur most commonly to those teens expiernece issues with schooling, and in a home setting. Research has conistantly explained that maltreatment is a significant risk factor for teen pregnancy among low income youth even after controlling for neighborhood disadvantage, other caregiver risks and indicators of individual emotional and behavioral problems. The most well known health risks that are consistent but not always associated with teen pregnancy and childbearing are low birth weight, preterm birth. However, pregnant teens generally face other challenges that are also known to affect maternal and infant outcomes. These include maternal income, educational attainment, employment prospects, and mental and physical health. Going forward, children of teen mothers may have deficits in cognitive, academic, mental health, and psychosocial domains when compared to children of older mothers. Teens that give birth are likely to face exacerbation of preexisting cumulative psychosocial adversity after the

The scourge of teen pregnancy in the United States is an ongoing social disorder that is inflicting painful costs on the polity. According to (Card, J.J., 1999), unbridled teen pregnancy results in a vicious cycle of frustrations, abuse, neglect and dependency. Compared to the average in the population, teen mothers are more probable to drop out of high school, be caught in a web of repeat pregnancies, and more probable to end up at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. Danawi, H. et al, (2016) identified teen pregnancy in the United States as alarmingly greater than rates seen in other developed economies such as Europe and in Canada. According to Kearney & Levine (2012), U.S. female teens are twice as likely as Canadian teens to end up with unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, and about ten times as probable as Swiss teenagers. Their work also identified that disparity in teenage pregnancy rate exist across states in the United States, based on location, economic, racial and ethnic group. It noted that female teens in Mississippi are in greater danger of teen pregnancy than those living in New Hampshire, and according to Lewis T. (2014); District of Columbia has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the United States.

Adolescent parenthood has been an issue of public concern for many years. Adolescent parenthood has been the subject of numerous articles, public health reports, and public debate. So what makes adolescent parenthood such a popular topic of discussion and a reoccurring social problem? How does an adolescent parent relate to such public issues as education, poverty, and family? Researchers conduct literature reviews and original research in an effort to find a resolution to decrease adolescent pregnancy/parenthood and methods to improve the quality of life for adolescent parents. Although these articles share many themes and patterns, often their reason for conducting the research, methods, conclusion, and belief regarding adolescent

The United States holds the title of one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the western industrialized world. It causes many setbacks for the young girls and boys that have to take the role of being a teen parent. Becoming a parent is the lead reason that teenage females

During the 1600s and up to the early 1900s in the United States, teenage pregnancy was not identified as a social problem. Instead, the only issue during this time was the pressure of conceiving out of wedlock. Early family formation during the colonial times was considered normal for Americans due to the ease of access on resources and land. In the United States, teenage pregnancy developed into a social problem through the progression of women’s roles in society and lack of contraceptives which resulted to American citizens having to pay higher tax dollars in order for the government to financially support teen pregnancy and prevention programs.

Teen pregnancy prevention is one of the most controversial subjects in today’s society. Many will argue that peer pressure and the area you live in are contributing factors to most adolescent pregnancies. No matter what geographic location you reside in, the problem is usually in the home, in the school system, and the cost of contraception and the barriers in obtaining it. The biggest predicament regarding the issue of adolescent pregnancy is the question of prevention. Preventing teen pregnancy includes problems such as the availability of birth control, sexual education among children and adolescents, and parental involvement.

Teen pregnancy has been a serious social issue for quite a while. Often, a teen pregnancy is detrimental for both the teen and the child involved. Both a teen mother and her child are more susceptible to complications during the pregnancy and birth than and adult mother and her child. Unfortunately, a teen mother and her infant are also less likely to pursue and receive healthcare to alleviate these health risks (Teen Pregnancy). Moreover, “teen pregnancy is often cited as a factor that perpetuates the cycle of poverty, since teen mothers are likely to be poor in the first place, and their children are likely to grow up to be poor” (Teen Pregnancy). While there is no argument that teens should be educated to prevent teen pregnancy, there is a debate on how it should be done. Currently, there are two forms of education focused on reducing teen pregnancies: abstinence-only education and comprehensive sex education with birth control. However, sex education and birth control are clearly the superior option, due to its effectiveness and the futility of abstinence-only education.

Teen pregnancy is a problem that is plaguing the U.S., as well as other countries. This social problem affects teens of every ethnic and economic background. Before we discuss what some organizations are doing to help, let’s look at some of statistics surrounding teen pregnancy. Even though this is a serious problem, the good news is that teen birth rates in the United States have dropped almost continuously since the early 1990s — including a six percent drop from 2011 to 2012 — further decreasing from 2011's historic lows. Teen birth rates declined for all races and for Hispanics except for 18–19 year old Asian/Pacific Islanders, for whom rates did not change. The decline was greatest for Hispanic teens, with a drop of 11% from 2010. The U.S. teen pregnancy, birth, sexually transmitted disease (STD), and abortion rates are substantially higher than those of other western industrialized nations. Non-Hispanic black youth, Hispanic/Latino youth, American Indian/Alaska Native youth, and socioeconomically disadvantaged youth of any race or ethnicity experience the highest rates of teen pregnancy and childbirth. Together, black and Hispanic youth comprised 57% of U.S. teen births in 2011 (CDC, 2012).

Even though the teen pregnancy and birth rates have dropped by one-third over the past decade, teen pregnancy in the United States is a growing problem. According to data by the National Center for Health Statistics and other official data, one in three girls still become pregnant by the age of twenty. In the United States one million adolescent girls become pregnant every year causing the U.S. to be the leader of the developed world in teen pregnancy. One in four of these teen girls will have a second baby within twenty four months and in 2010, a survey showed that only one in ten of these unwed mothers, ages fifteen to seventeen, received child support from the father. As citizens of the United States this is a time when we all need to pull together and help to change the future before it is too late. Many things can cause teen pregnancy but many things can prevent it or at least slow it down such as sexual abuse, poor life circumstances, parents ' attitudes, drugs and alcohol use, and exploitation by older men.

Teenage pregnancy is a major concern in today’s society; there are many factors in a teen’s life that can cause pregnancy. In addition, multiple challenges and hardships will come with teenage pregnancy not only for the female, but also for the male. Being a parent is very demanding and can be hard. The difficulties that come with an unplanned teenage pregnancy can have profound effects on their life. Their physical, mental, and emotional health will be affected by the sudden news that they will be responsible for taking care of a child in the upcoming months. Teens affected by an unplanned pregnancy will need to give up many things in order to become a parent. In addition, they will have to take on more responsibilities that come along