Mental health articles

Psychosocial factors involved in teenage pregnancy In Australia, teenagers who give birth are more likely to be Australian born,
Aboriginal and poor. American studies suggest that as many as 60 per cent of
teenage mothers live below the poverty line. Pregnant teenagers seek or attend
ante-natal care less often than older women. They often smoke and have poor
nutrition during pregnancy. They have higher rates of perinatal complications,
including long and difficult labours, premature and ‘small for dates’ infants, and
increased perinatal mortality. This has halved in teenagers under 17 years in the
past 10 years (van der Klis et al., 2002), and these complications are significantly
reduced in the 20–23 year age group, indicating that maternal youth is
consistently associated with perinatal complications for parents and infants.
Over 75 per cent of teenage mothers are single and about 25 per cent of
fathers are never told about the pregnancy (McElroy & Moore, 1997). Teenage
mothers are more likely to live in refuges or shelters than with the child’s father.
Teenage parents are very likely to be disadvantaged by sole parenthood, poverty
and reduced socioeconomic options. They are also at high risk of domestic
violence and their children are more often the subjects of child-protection
notifications.
Socioeconomic disadvantage, including poverty, social isolation or instability, and exposure to violence are all clearly identified risk factors when considering optimal child development.