Teen parenting is associated with numerous challenges, which can affect the future of both parents and children. While adolescent pregnancy prevention programs in the US have been largely successful in the last decades, the number of teen parents remains relatively high. This paper aims to evaluate the risks associated with teen parenting to determine whether they have a significant impact on the quality of life of parents and children.
Teen parents often face socioeconomic challenges, which can significantly impact their career opportunities. Assini-Meytin and Green (2015) analyzed the data from the African-American community in Chicago to establish whether teen parenting could be a predictive factor of educational and economic outcomes. The sample data for the study was collected between 1966-1967 when participants entered the first grade, and 2002-2003, when they turned 42 (Assini-Meytin & Green, 2015). Assini-Meytin and Green (2015) compared the economic and educational outcomes for teen and non-teen parents at the later stages of the research. They found that teen mothers had a lower income and considerably higher school dropout and unemployment rates (Assini-Meytin & Green, 2015). Teen fathers were less affected because the lack of child protection laws in the 1970s de facto released them of any responsibility if a child was born out of wedlock (Assini-Meytin & Green, 2015). Overall, the study shows that teen parenting can have a significant negative impact on one’s educational and economic outcomes.
Several studies have found age to be a predictive factor in parental behaviors. Lewin et al. (2013) have studied the data collected for 9, 250 children born in 2001 to determine the behavioral differences in the teen (15-19 years old), young (19-25 years old), and adult (over 25 years old) parents. The researchers interviewed parents, assessed children directly, and studied videotaped interactions between them (Lewin et al., 2013). They found that teen mothers were the least supportive and sensitive out of all groups (Lewin et al., 2013). Moreover, they used physical punishment more often than adult mothers (Lewin et al., 2013). The results of the study prove that younger mothers are more likely to display negative parenting behaviors.
The last study examines the impact of teen parenting on children’s intellectual abilities. Loyola Briceno et al. (2013) tested the cognitive and language skills of 3, 013 Latino children from low-income families, who were 3-4 years old at the time. The data was collected using the standard Learning Accomplishment Profile-Diagnostic (LAP-D) tool with the help of independent bilingual assessors (Loyola Briceno et al., 2013). The researchers found that children who had teen parents displayed lower cognitive and language proficiency in comparison to their peers (Loyola Briceno et al., 2013). Loyola Briceno et al. (2013) argue that the difference can be explained by the fact that teen parents are less likely to encourage learning behaviors in their children. This statement correlates with the findings of the previous study, which established that teen mothers often tend to be less involved in their children’s lives.
The research shows that most teen parents are not ready to face socioeconomic and psychological challenges associated with raising a child. They often have to sacrifice their education and careers to take care of their children. However, it does not necessarily promise better opportunities for the latter, as their parents’ lack of experience or motivation can diminish their chances to succeed at school. Overall, teen parenting represents a serious challenge not only for adolescent parents and their children but for society as a whole, as it leads to increased poverty levels and unemployment rates.
References
Assini-Maytin, L. C., & Green, K. M. (2015). Long-term consequences of adolescent parenthood among African-American urban youth: A propensity score matching approach.Journal of Adolescent Health, 56, 529-535. Web.
Lewin, A., Mitchell, S. J., & Ronzio C. R. (2013). Developmental differences in parenting behavior: Comparing adolescent, emerging adult, and adult mothers.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 59(1), 23-49. Web.
Loyola Briceno, Ana-Carolina, De Feyter, J. J., & Winsler A. (2013). The school readiness of children born to low‐income, adolescent Latinas in Miami.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(2), 430-442. Web.