Teenage parenting and child development: A literature review

Abstract

Research related to the impact of teenage parenting upon a child's developmental status is reviewed. Though the empirical base is limited, several researchers agree that children born to teenage mothers show poor social and intellectual competence relative to children born to older mothers. However, if such developmental differences do exist, research to date has contributed little to an understanding of the causal mechanisms involved. The commonly reported medical factors associated with teenage pregnancy probably are not sufficient to account for the reported developmental differences. On the other hand, socioeconomic factors and the caretaking environments provided by teenage mothers could be related to developmental problems for the children involved, though much of the research in these areas is of questionable quality. Finally, if we are to develop an understanding of teenage childrearing sufficient to guide intervention programs, there is a need for the use of more sophisticated research models than have been used to date.

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