Teen

Pregnancy
As a social worker, how will you feel
about it?
American Statistics
-1/3 of American Teenage girls become
pregnant and will likely become pregnant
again.
-Daughters of teen mothers are 66% more
likely to become teen mothers as well.
-African Americans ages 15-17 have 36.1 live
births per 1000 and are 3 times more likely
to become pregnant than whites
-Hispanics ages 15-17 have 47.9 live births
per 1000 and are 4 times more likely to
become pregnant than whites.
-Whites ages 15-17 have 11.8 live births per
1000.
Teen Pregnancy
Around the World
Across the globe, 16 million teenagers give
birth every year!
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin says “It [teenage pregnancy] is deeply
rooted in poverty, gender inequality, violence, child and forced
marriage, power imbalances between adolescent girls and their male
partners, lack of education, and the failure of systems and institutions
to protect their rights.”
5 Countries with the highest numbers of
teenage pregnancies:
1. Niger
2. Chad
3. Mozambique
4. Mali
5. Liberia
 Niger
• Highest number of teen pregnancies
• Highest number of child brides
• By age 18, 75% of girls are married, and 51% have had a child
• Maternal healthcare is not as available to child brides.
• If a country could reduce their child bride rate by 10 %, they would
reduce their maternal mortality rate by 70%.
 Chad
• 47% of teenagers have a baby.
• There is a 1 in 14 chance in Chad for a woman to die during childbirth.
• The most likely of these are poor teenagers with no education and
who have not yet developed.
• Only 1% of Chad’s poor women receive help from a doctor or a
qualified healthcare professional.
 Mozambique
• 41% of teenage girls have a baby.
• Teenage pregnancy is seen as the largest hindrance to a girl’s
education.
• One pregnant 6th grader said she was too ashamed to go to class.
• The UN Secretary-General said that education was important in this
country to preventing teen pregnancies. If the girls stay in school
longer, then they will put off marriage and having children.
 Mali
• 55% of teenagers get married and 40% give birth.
• Less than 8% of these teenagers use contraceptives.
• The reasons for not having these include “lack of information, fear of
side effects, and other barriers—geographic, social, and economic-
prevent young people from obtaining and using family planning
methods.”
--Ariel Pablos-Mendez
 Liberia
• There is a high rate of child-rape in Liberia.
• 38% of Liberian teenagers become pregnant.
• 20% of those are the result of child-rape.
• Because of the Civil War, families were torn apart, usually by death,
and mothers were not around to teach their daughters how to care
for children. Thus, teenage mothers find it difficult to care for their
young.
Closer to Home: Knox County
• In the 15-17 year old age range, 21.1 of 1000 live births are from
white teenage girls and 68.2 of 1000 live births are from black
teenage girls.
• In the 18-19 year old range, 54.9 of 1000 live births are from white
teenage girls and 121 of 1000 live births are from black teenage girls.
• Some factors for teen pregnancy in Knoxville are poverty, lack of
support, lack of recreational or school events, and alcohol and drugs.
Knoxville Teen Pregnancy Resources
• The Hope Resource Center
• Columbus Home Assisting Parents
• Florence Crittenton Agency
• Child and Parenting Skills Program
• Counseling Services for Victims of
Crime
• New Focus-helps pregnant teens
who are in danger of losing their
children due to substance abuse
• STARS-Students Teaching an
Respecting Sexuality
• Teaching Teens Outstanding
Parenting Skills (T-TOPS)
• Knox County Schools—Homebound
for 6 weeks
• TANF—Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families
• http://www.knoxnews.com/news/l
ocal-news/no-headline-
031510birthteenside
Cultural Contributions
• Child marriages are part of some cultures.
• Minorities (except for Asian/Pacific Islander) in the United States have
higher rates of teen pregnancy.
• This is mostly because many of these minority families live in poverty
and do not have the opportunities for future education that whites
do.
Live Births Per 1000 by Ethnicity in 2012
Series 1

African Americans White Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaskan Native Hispanics

Social Aspects
Social/Academic Results from Teen Pregnancy
• Feeling embarrassed or awkward at school
• Fear of telling parents or being kicked out of home
• Health concerns for them or their children—postpartum depression: rates
are 5-7% higher in teen mothers
• Finding daycare or child care
• Safety fears at school
• Lack of support
• The need for income
• Not knowing her options
• Being behind in school
Schooling Options for Teen Moms
• Special schools for pregnant teens and parenting teens
• Schools with daycare centers
• Regular schools with outside daycare
• Homeschool
• GED
• Night school
• Community college
• Online education
Other Things to Help Teen Moms
• Realistic expectations of motherhood
• Life-skill and parenting classes
• Good child care—look to community, church, etc. . .
• A supportive mentor
• Long-term goals set by the teenager
• Breast pump
• Support groups
Economic Aspects
 Economics of Teen Pregnancy for America
• Many teenage mothers use welfare and other public aid
• Because of their lack of education, they become “stuck in the system” and
usually they have more children.
• Low socio-economic status has been seen in the development of the baby’s
development as early as mid-pregnancy, suggesting that the deck may be
stacked against them before they are even born.
• As the baby grows, he/she will likely need aid from the government for
education, possible disabilities, healthcare, and possibly help for having her
own baby as a teenager ($1682 per year per child)
• 9.4 billion dollars have been spent on teen pregnancies and teen mothers
 Statistics
Descriptions Poor (50% federal poverty level) Non-poor (200% fed. Poverty level)
African Americans 63.5% 17.0%
Caucasians 26.5% 83.0%
Mean Maternal Age 22.5 29.1
Mean Years Maternal Education 11.3 14.4
Median Family Income $6500 $63,500
Welfare Benefits 56.8% 6.4%
Married 10.8% 78.7%
Father Living in Home 33.8% 91.5%
Mean Number in Household 4.4 3.9
Mother Employed Full Time 12.2% 42.6%
Mother Employed Part Time 10.9% 25.5%
Mother Enrolled in School 19.0% 85%
Home Ownership 9.5% 67.4%
Mean Rental Payment (for renters) $117.7 $591.0
Political Aspects
 The US Government and Teen Pregnancy
• Our federal government still does not do a good job with sex
education. When interviewing pregnant teenagers, the CDC most
often received the answer “I didn’t know I could get pregnant.”
Standing up while having sex is able to prevent pregnancy was also
what 18% of teenage males believed.
• The United States Government sees teenage pregnancy as a national
health problem needing intervention.
• Experts have appeared before Congress insisting that parents talking
to their children about sex will go a long way toward preventing teen
pregnancy.
 The US Government and Teen Pregnancy
• The government gave a huge grant to abstinence-only programs
which were found not to have a huge impact on preventing teen
pregnancy.
• Researchers are suggesting that comprehensive sex education
programs along with an abstinence message and knowledge of
contraceptives and their use would likely be most helpful in
preventing teen pregnancy and that the government should focus on
that.
The Babies
 Facts Surrounding Babies of Teenagers
• Their early environments and the bond they have with their mothers
will play a part in determining their later vulnerability and resilience.
• Many teenagers are not prepared or desirous of motherhood.
• Babies born to teenagers are often born early, small, or under-
developed largely because the teenagers are under-developed.
• When babies are born to teenagers, many times they get stuck in
poverty for life with all the disadvantages that brings and many times
have siblings.
• Many baby girls born to teenage moms will likely become teenage
moms themselves.
 Disclaimer
There are many different negative facts about teen pregnancy in the
above slides, but some teen moms go on to do very well for
themselves, despite that their lives will never be the same.

Also, there are some cultures (even our own) where older teenagers
wed, have a child, and everything turns out fine.
 References
• Balberine, Robin (2002). “An Infant in Context: Multiple Risks and a
Relationship.” Infant Mental Health Journal, 23(3), 329-341.
http://www.interscience.wiley.com
• Basch, Charles E (2011). “Teen Pregnancy and the Achievement Gap between
Minority Youth.” Journal of School Health, 81(10), 614-618.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1746-11561 .2011.00635. x/abstract
• Cain, Daphne S. and Combs-Orme, Terri (2006). “Povetry and the Daily Lives of
Infants: Consistent Disadvantage.” Journal of Children and Poverty, 12(1), 1-
20. http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context =utk_
socipubs
 References
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). “About Teen Pregnancy.”
http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/index.htm
• Congressional Record Daily Edition (2001). “Parents’ Role in Teen Pregnancy”
http://congressional.proquest.com.proxy.lib.utk.edu:90/congressional/docv
iew/t1 7.d18.c49a61240c000e17?accountid=14766
• “Counting It Up: The National Cost of Teen Childbearing.” The National
Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
https://thenationalcampaign.org/why-it-matters/public-cost
• DiPietro, Janet A. (2000). “Baby and the Brain: Advances in Child Development.”
Annual Reviews, 21, 455-471. http://www.arjournals.annualreviews.org
 References
• Domenico, Desirae and Jones, Karen H. (2007). “Adolescent Pregnancy in
America: Causes and Responses.” Journal for Vocational Special Needs
Education, 30(1), 4-12.
http://specialpopulations.org/Vol%2030-1%20Chapters/JVSNEVol30-
1_Fall07_Domenico.pdf
• “Finishing School as a Mom.” Teen Pregnancy Statistics.
http://www.teenpregnancystatistics.org/content/finishing-school-as-a-
mom.html
• “Help for Pregnant Teens” (2010, March 15). Knoxville News Sentinel
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local-news/no-headline-
031510birthteenside
 References
• Health Equity: Teen Sexual Health (2012). Knox County Health Department.
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/sites/default/files/Knox%20County%
20Health%20Inequity%20one-pagers.pdf
• Kingston, Dawn (2012, June 20). “Teen Mothers More Likely to Suffer Abuse and
Postpartum Depression Than Older Moms.” News Medical. http://www.
news -medical.net /news/20120620/Teen-mothers-more-likely-to-suffer-
abuse-and-postpartum-depression-than-older-moms.aspx
• Kristof, Nicholas (2014). “Politicians, Teens, and Birth Control.” New York Times,
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/opinion/nicholas-kristof-politicians-
teens-and-birth-control.html?_r=0
 References
• Lawlor, Debbie A. and Shaw, Mary (2002). “Too Much Too Young? Teenage
Pregnancy Is Not a Public Health Problem.” International Journal of
Epidemiology 31, 552-554. http://www.popline.org/node/189067
• Solomon-Fears, Carmen (2007). “Scientific Evaluations of Approaches to Prevent
Teen Pregnancy.” CRS Report for Congress.
http://principalsessentials.com/xpdf/preg-report-congress.pdf
• Stuart, Elizabeth (2013). “A Look at Teen Pregnancy around the World.” Global
Post, http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/global-
pulse/where-are-the-most-teen-moms
 References
• Ypsilanti, M.I. “Teen Pregnancy—A Social Issue.” Teen Ink.
http://www.teenink.com/college_guide/college_essays/article/308874/Teen-PregnancyA-Social-
Issue/
Websites where images were found:
• http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db89_tables.pdf
• https://www.google.com/search?q=maps+by+zara+matheson&biw=1366&bih=657&tbm=isch&tb
o=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=nvUhVZqnMsSD
• http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/birth-rates-chart-2000-2011-text.htm
• http://blogs.longwood.edu/teenpregnancy/files/2012/01/graph-2006.png
• http://info.umkc.edu/womenc/files/2010/07/teenpregnancy.jpg
• http://images.dailykos.com/images/user/3/teenpreg.png
• https://www.google.com/search?q=teenage+pregnancy+around+the+world&safe=active&biw=13
66&bih=657&noj=1&site=webhp&tbm=isch&
Resources for teen moms: http://www.lifecall.org/cpc/tennessee.html