The Impact of Teenage Parenthood: Exploring Social Problems, Struggles,

and Negative Outcomes

Negative outcomes of teenage parenthood
What are the psychological problems faced by teenage parents?

Adolescent parenthood is associated with a range of mental health

problems, including depression, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress
disorder [1]. Adolescent mothers are also more likely to face mental health
challenges than other groups of mothers [1]. These challenges may be due
to the adverse life circumstances that often precede and predict teen
pregnancy [1]. However, it is unclear whether these stressors and
experiences of early childbearing lead to mental health problems or whether
the mental health outcomes among adolescent mothers are a result of these
adverse life circumstances [1]. The stressors of caring for an infant may
exacerbate the psychological distress experienced by young mothers [1]. The
direction of causality in the relationship between teen parenthood and
mental health problems is complex and not well understood [1]. The mental
health problems faced by teenage parents can have adverse effects on their
functioning and parenting behavior, potentially leading to behavioral
problems in their offspring [1]. Teen mothers face significant levels of stress,
which can contribute to a range of mental health problems [1][2]. Teenage
mothers have higher rates of postpartum depression and depression in
general [2]. These social obligations can also lead to a lack of respect and
support from friends and family members, affecting their self-esteem and
self-worth [3]. Moreover, teenage parents face social obligations that can
affect their mental health, related to childbirth and being a new mom.
Examples of these conditions include psychological problems [2]. However,
some factors like having a supportive relationship with her mother and/or
the baby's father can reduce the likelihood of psychiatric issues in teenage
mothers [2].

How does teenage parenthood affect academic performance?

Teenage parenthood has been shown to have negative impacts on academic

performance. Sociodemographic factors, such as low maternal education,
unmarried status, and poverty, are often associated with teenage parenthood
[4]. These factors can have significant negative effects on educational
outcomes, including disabilities and low educational achievement [4]. High
school graduation programs for teenage mothers have proven important in
addressing the negative effects of these sociodemographic factors [4].
Although maternal age does not directly impact academic outcomes, it may
have an indirect effect through sociodemographic factors [4]. Intervention
programs targeted at teenage mothers have been shown to ameliorate some
of the negative consequences of teenage parenting [4]. The decision to quit
school might stem from personal or family characteristics,and teenage
childbearing can reduce schooling [5]. Even when controlling for all
measured parental covariates, teenage childbearing remains a robust
predictor of poor academic performance in unrelated offspring [6]. Teenage
childbearing is also associated with an increased risk of low educational
attainment and achievement in unrelated offspring. However, birth to a
teenage mother was not associated with poor academic performance for
siblings, according to sibling-comparison models [6]. The risk of both low
educational attainment and achievement increases over time for unrelated
offspring [6]. Although the risk of poor academic performance for siblings
born to teenage mothers did not change across the timespan, the magnitude
of this association increased over time [6]. Offspring born to teenage
mothers were also more likely to have substance-related problems than their
later-born siblings [6]. Interestingly, within-family association between
teenage childbearing and poor academic performance was not observed [6].
Nonetheless, teenage parenthood is associated with poor academic
performance in offspring, and sociodemographic risk for teenage mothers
also increased over time, as they were more likely to have low educational
attainment compared to adult mothers [6]. The association between teenage
childbearing and poor academic performance intensified over time from
1960 to 1989 [6]. Giving birth in the teen years is related to educational
problems, and perinatal variables do not act as confounders for this
relationship once sociodemographic factors are controlled for [6][4]. Being
younger by one year leads to a significant increase in the odds of placement
in the EH, LD, EMH, and TMH groups, indicating that younger age is
associated with detrimental effects on academic performance in some
cases [4]. Among young teenagers aged 11-17 years with less than a high
school education who were unmarried and poor, some significant
detrimental effects of younger age were observed in academic performance
[4]. Additionally, teenage childbearing decreases the probability of post-16
schooling by 12-24%, and the negative impact of teen motherhood on
academic performance is not just due to pre-motherhood characteristics [5].
From 1980 to 1989, teenage mothers giving birth were 3.5 times more likely
to have low educational attainment than adult mothers, whereas teenage
mothers who gave birth from 1960 to 1969 were actually less likely to have
low educational attainment than adult mothers during the same period. A
similar pattern of results was found for the fathers of offspring born to
teenage mothers. The risk of low educational attainment increased for
women who gave birth as teenagers relative to women who gave birth as
adults.Finally, perinatal variables did not act as confounders for the
relationship between giving birth in the teen years and educational problems,
indicating that adverse biological conditions at birth may not have a
significant effect on long-term educational outcomes [4].

What are the economic challenges of teenage parenthood?

The economic challenges of teenage parenthood can have negative

consequences on young women's education and labor outcomes [7],
especially for those who become mothers in early adolescence. Adolescent
motherhood has been linked to negative educational outcomes such as
lower high school completion rates, reduced enrollment in technical
institutes and universities, and fewer years of education overall [7]. Similarly,
adolescent motherhood has been associated with negative labor outcomes,
even for non-poor women [7]. However, the adverse effects of teenage
parenthood on education and labor outcomes have decreased over time [7].
Still, economic challenges can persist for several years after teenage
parenthood,and the timing of births and income levels can affect the impact
of adolescent motherhood on women's education and labor market
outcomes [7]. Economic strain is also a factor that can influence the
successful transition to motherhood for adolescents [8]. The literature
suggests that economic challenges are indeed associated with teenage
parenthood, which can have an impact on both education and labor market
outcomes [8]. Therefore, effective public policies aimed at reducing teen
motherhood may help alleviate some of the economic challenges associated
with adolescent parenthood, leading to better outcomes for young women.1.
Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Pregnant and Parenting
Adolescents.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3876179/
Accessed 2023-03-26

2. What Are the Effects of Teenage

Pregnancy?.https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/teenage-
pregnancy-effects Accessed 2023-03-26

3. 11 Negative Effects Of Teenage Pregnancy On

Society.https://www.momjunction.com/articles/effects-of-teen-pregnancy-
on-society_00384725/ Accessed 2023-03-26

4. Effect of Teenage Pregnancy on Educational Disabilities in Kindergarten |

American Journal of Epidemiology | Oxford
Academic.https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/154/3/212/12579
4 Accessed 2023-03-26

5. The long-run labour market consequences of teenage motherhood in

Britain.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s001480200125 Accessed
2023-03-26

6. The Association Between Teenage Motherhood and Poor Offspring

Outcomes: A National Cohort Study Across 30
Years.https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/twin-research-and-human-
genetics/article/association-between-teenage-motherhood-and-poor-
offspring-outcomes-a-national-cohort-study-across-30-years/
7F71E1C10422D714A71402BBF10E46BE Accessed 2023-03-26

7. Does adolescent motherhood affect education and labor market

outcomes of mothers? A study on young adult women in Chile during 1990–
2013.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00038-016-0926-5
Accessed 2023-03-26

8. Review Adolescent mothers' experiences of the transition to

motherhood: An integrative
review.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352013218306
380 Accessed 2023-03-26