The Effects of Teen Pregnancy on Children

When considering the financial aspect of teen pregnancy, education regarding the issue should be provided with an increased attention because taxpayers end up billions of dollars on a yearly basis with the purpose of assisting teenage parents. In addition to this, society suffers because most teenagers who become pregnant are unlikely to finish high school. Children of teen parents are probable to suffer more health problems and to perform poorly during school, given that they are typically provided with underprivileged environments.

For many years teen pregnancy has been a national social problem. Views have changed over the years as society has started to adapt to the thought of teen pregnancy. “Growing evidence suggests that pre-existing academic and economic hardships play a role in the continuing struggles of teen mothers. While 85% of young women who delay having their first child until at least twenty or twenty – one obtain a high school diploma or GED, only 63% of mothers who give birth by age seventeen do so” (Crosson- Tower p255)

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.

In recent years, the rate of teen pregnancies in America has increased dramatically. Approximately 750,000 teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant every year, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Within this number, 82% of the pregnancies are unplanned. The psychological effects of these pregnancies can be severe.

Current statistics indicate that in the United States 4 out of 10 girls will become pregnant at least once before the age of 20 (Harris & Allgood, 2009, p.1314). This population of mothers is more likely to dropout then other adolescents in their age group (Harris & Allgood, 2009, p.1314). In fact, more than 60% of teens who give birth before the age of 18 will drop out of high school, putting them at a greater risk of being impoverished later in life (Harris & Allgood, 2009, p.1314). Additionally, the children of adolescent mothers are more likely to have complicated deliveries that can lead to chronic medical and developmental problems (Harris & Allgood, 2009, p.1315). With higher rates of poverty as well as increased pregnancy

Adolescent motherhood should be a major concern for our country. Teens in the United States are more likely to give birth than any other industrialized country in the world. (Kearney & Levine, 2012) The article, Update on Adolescent Motherhood and Postpartum Depression states, “adolescent motherhood is a common and costly phenomenon with almost half a million American girls becoming mothers every year in the U.S.” (McGuinness, Medrano & Hodges, 2013) This is one reason why the topic of adolescent motherhood should be paid attention too. Why does the U.S. have the highest teen birth rate? Is it because of our sex education, by both parents and schools? Does economic opportunity contribute to the high teen birth rate? These are questions that come to mind when contemplating the U.S. teen birth rate; also teen birth rate varies in our own country. A teen in Mississippi is 4 times more likely to give birth than a teen living in New Hampshire. (Kearney & Levine, 2012)

My mother always said “You are a princess and your body is a temple, so treat it like one”. As I grew up, that was the phrase that made a profound impact on my childhood. My parents felt that for me to be confident and successful, I would have to be at peace emotionally and physically during the most crucial years of my growth. They always said “Do not become another one of the statistics!”. In my early teenage years I believed that they kept me sheltered, but now in my freshmen year of college, I could not be more thankful for their guidance and protection. At the time I did not understand what she meant, but after my years in high school it all made sense. I, like many other teens, would gain knowledge on relationships and sexuality. In this country teen pregnancy has high increase in minorities, one of the main reasons why the population is expanding. It is through proper knowledge of sexuality and protection that female teens are able to prevent pregnancy.

When teen girls become pregnant, they are often hurting their own lives, as well as the lives of the children they’re bringing into the world. Imagine an adorable little baby, born to a mother that doesn’t have the resources to give the best life possible to him or her. Unfortunately, this is a sad reality for many children born to teen moms. A teenager who has a baby often derails her own education and puts the child on a troubled trajectory as well (Kristof). Childbearing during the teen years can carry health, economic, and social costs for mothers and their children (Few Teens Use the Most Effective Types of Birth Control). Children born

Teen pregnancy affects the entire family, not only does it cause emotional distress to the teen, but also the teens parents. Along with this, many teens rely on the state through food stamps, medical care, and financial aid to help raise their child. Family members watch the young mother struggle to make ends meet and often have to step in and help raise the child. Teen moms often have no support from the father or the fathers family and must raise the child entirely on their own.

Although the pregnancy rate in adolescents has declined steadily in the past 10 years, it remains a major public health problem with lasting repercussions for the teenage mothers, their infants and families, and society as a whole. Successful strategies to prevent adolescent pregnancy include community programs to improve social development, responsible sexual behavior education, and improved contraceptive counseling and delivery. Many of these strategies are implemented at the family and community level. The family physician plays a key role by engaging adolescent patients in confidential, open, and nonthreatening discussions of reproductive health, responsible sexual behavior (including condom use to prevent sexually transmitted

Teen pregnancy is something that has become so common for these past years. Some teens that engage in premarital sex are lucky enough to not end up pregnant, but there are those who are not as fortunate. “3 in 10 teen American girls will get pregnant at least once before age 20. That’s nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies every year” (11 Facts about Teen Pregnancy). Most of these teens probably think that it won’t happen to them, so they don’t play it safe, but what they don’t realize, is that one little mistake can be a life changing experience.

Teen pregnancy and resulting births present/cause many (related to social pressure, how people act toward each other, etc.) challenges, and as a result require the total (of everything or everyone) efforts of many to provide solutions. Teen pregnancy has been thought about/believed a "social ill" for centuries in the United States and has always challenged moral and (honest and right) thoughts and feelings. The money-based costs of teens giving birth are significant, and there are many forcing/forceful/interesting reasons to reduce the teen pregnancy. Research shows that reducing the number of births to teens and increasing the age at which a women gives birth yields significant cost savings for the (government-run services and their employees). Efforts to reduce teen pregnancy are mainly focused on prevention and sex education is a large part of the effort. Twenty-first century sex education programs focus on two main (success plans/ways of reaching goals), they are: (not doing something) only education and (not doing something) plus education. (not doing something) only teaches that stopping from sexual activity is the only truly effective way to prevent unintended pregnancy. (not doing something) plus education focuses on delaying the beginning of sexual activity and recommends the use of contraception if a teen is sexually active. The success of (not doing something) only education has been (stated that something is much bigger, worse, etc., than it really is) according

“Teen childbearing is associated with negative consequences for the adolescent parents, their children, and society,” (The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Teenage females associated with childbearing expose themselves to many risks and negative effects that can affect their future. Females result with many consequences due to teenage pregnancy. This paper will strictly focus on the effects females experience through teenage pregnancy. The reader will be able to develop an overall understanding of the causes of teen pregnancy. Also, the reader will be able to distinguish the psychosocial effects on the girl during adolescent pregnancy. The reader shall understand the risks of health complications females experience through childbearing.

Research have shown that childbearing during the teen years is a both a result and cause of poverty (Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy [SCAA], 2008). The SCAA states that the same complicated set of socio- economic factors that puts teenagers at risk of child- bearing also contributes to the reality that teen parents continue to live in poverty (2008). According to research, “A greater proportion of young women who are poor become sexually active as adolescents, do not use a contraceptive method at first intercourse and give birth by age 20” (SCAA, 2008). The poverty rate for children born to teen mothers are high. These teenage mothers usually have less education and barely any support. They don’t allow their children to be involved in early learning, rather they use parental care or other noncentre care which lowered school readiness (Mollborn & Blalock, 2012). In another study presented, teen mothers who have support and are educated on child development tend to engage their children in centre care (Mollborn & Blalock, 2012). The research states that child care is an important arena of socialization that affects children’s development, thus many poor children and children who are members of racial/ethnic minority groups, two categories into which teen parents’ children disproportionately fall, benefit more from

Teenage pregnancy is an important issue. There are significant health risks for both young mothers and their children and they are more likely to suffer social and emotional traumas throughout their lives. There are many social causes and economic factors that are major contributors in early childbearing. For example, when teenagers give birth, they are less likely to complete high school and more likely during their lives to have a larger number of children than are non-parenting teens. Children born to younger teen mothers may also experience lower educational attainment, and higher rates of teenage childbearing themselves when compared to children born to older mothers.