Adolescent Parents, Programs and Policies for

Steinunn Gestsdottir

This entry provides a brief overview of adolescent parenthood in the United States and its implications for young mothers. It will describe types of prevention and intervention programs for pregnant and parenting adolescents, briefly summarize evaluation findings of these programs, and explore the ways in which the issue of teenage parenthood has been addressed at a policy level. While adolescent parenthood is not a new issue in the United States, the nature and context of teenage parenthood has changed. In the past, it was common for young, single women who became pregnant to get married or give up their children for adoption. During the last half century, however, young women have become increasingly more likely to keep their children and to be single parents; the proportion of nonmarital teenage births has risen from 13% in the 1950s to 79% in 2000 (Boonstra, 2002). While there has been a considerable decline ...

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