Research

Fact Forward - https://www.factforward.org/news/high-costs-teen-pregnancy

Many teen mothers drop out of high school, with only 51% earning a high school diploma in their lifetime, compared to 89% of women who were not teen parents. This is often because they need to spend time finding a job to support themselves and their child. Without completing their education, teen mothers are more likely to work low-paying jobs, and many live in poverty or rely on public assistance programs. Unfortunately, almost half of teen mothers do not receive welfare until five years or more after the birth of their first child.

Teen motherhood does not only affect the mother, but the child as well. Because of a lower budget, children may not have access to the same quality of education, which can lead to lower grades, a higher likelihood of repeating a grade, and a lower chance of graduating from high school. In addition to educational challenges, children of teen mothers can also experience health problems. Teen mothers are more likely to deliver pre-term and low birth weight babies, which increases the risk of health issues. Additionally, one-third of teens do not see a healthcare provider during the first trimester of pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of complications at birth.

 

World Health Organization - https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy 

Every year, around 21 million teenager girls get pregnant, and over 12 million of them give birth. Globally, the adolescent birth rate (ABR) has been declining, but rates of change are uneven across different regions of the world, with Southern Asia having the sharpest decrease and Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa experiencing a slower decline. For example, the ABR in Africa is approximately 97 per 1000 teenagers, compared to 13.1 of 1000 teenagers in Europe. While the estimated global ABR has declined, the estimated number of adolescent childbirths continues to be high. The largest number of births to teenagers aged 15-19 in 2021 was in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 6,114,000 births.

Studies show that teen pregnancy rates tend to be higher among those with less education or of low economic status. Progress in reducing adolescent births has been particularly difficult in these vulnerable groups, leading to increasing inequity. There are many factors contributing to teen pregnancy. First, in many societies, girls are expected to marry young, with an estimated global number of child brides being 650 million in 2021. Child marriages places girls at an increased risk of pregnancy because they often don't have the choice to say no to having a child. Additionally, in many places, girls choose to become pregnant because they have limited educational and employment prospects and motherhood is valued. Child sexual abuse also increases the risk of unintended pregnancies. A report published in 2021 estimates that 120 million girls under the age of 20 experienced sexual violence by someone other than a partner. Approximately 1 in 8 of the world's children are sexually abused before reaching the age of 18, and 1 in 20 of girls aged 15-19 years has experienced forced sex during their lifetime.

In many places, teenagers can't easily access contraceptives. And, even if they can, they often lack the resources to pay for them, knowledge on where to get them, and how to correctly and safely use them. They are often at a high risk of discontinuing use because of side effects, and there are many laws, restrictions, and policies regarding how old an individual has to be to get them.

 

Congress - https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45184 

Teenage parents, both mothers and fathers, often have less education and are more likely to have a lower income than others who did not become teen parents. Approximately 90% of teenagers who didn't become pregnant graduate high school, while only around 50% of teen parents graduate before the age of 22. A study shows that teenagers who become parents, compared to older parents, are more likely to need public assistance and have lower income as adults. Teen pregnancy not only affects the parents, but also the child. Compared to children of parents aged 20 and over, they are generally more likely to have chronic medical conditions, use public heath care, have lower school readiness scores, do poorly in school, give birth as teenagers, and be incarcerated. Additionally, infants born to teen mothers face higher rates of infant mortality and morbidity, including preterm birth or low birth weight, while teen mothers are more likely to experience maternal health complications.

 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation - https://www.aecf.org/blog/teen-birth-rates-and-educational-outcomes 

Generally speaking, teen mothers end up less educated than their peers. Com­pared to moth­ers who give birth at an old­er age, teen mothers are significantly less likely to have an asso­ci­ate’s degree, bach­e­lor’s degree or anoth­er high­er edu­ca­tion degree. The 2025 Congressional Research Service study links this lack of education to long term economic struggles for teen parents but also their families. These include reduced earning potential as adults, increased reliance on public assistance, missed opportunities to develop employment skills, and higher likelihood of living in poverty. In addition, researchers from the Institute for Women's Policy Research found that: "

• With each additional level of education, single mothers experience a 32% decline, on average, in their likelihood of living in poverty.
• Just 13% of single mothers with a bachelor's degree live in poverty compared to 62% of single mothers with less than a high school diploma.
• Single mothers with a high school diploma are over three times as likely to live in poverty when compared to single mothers with a bachelor's degree"

Another study by Stanford shows that the impact of teen pregnancy is multigenerational. It has impacts not just for the mother and child, but also the grandchild of that mother.

Children of teen parents also face academic challenges, one of which being higher school dropout rates. These students are more likely to drop out of high school before graduation, continuing a cycle of educational challenges. Also, teen parents often deal with financial stress, which can restrict access to learning resources. Because many teen parents have not completed their own education, they often lack the time, academic skills, or resources to adequately support their children's learning at home.

 

National Library of Medicine - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3876179/

Teen mothers can be up to 4 times more likely to face severe mental health conditions such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse than childless teens or older mothers. They are also much more likely to live in poverty and live in communities that are socially and economically disadvantaged. In addition to learning the new skills required to become a parent, teenage mothers must also adjust to the responsibilities and demands of parenting, often in the context of economic and social disadvantage, including stressors such as mental health problems that can severely impact the functioning and parenting behavior of adolescent mothers. 

Although completed suicides are rare among pregnant women, adolescent mothers are at a higher risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts, even after the child is born. One of the main reasons for this is the shock of quickly transitioning from a teenager to a parent, which can lead to feelings of a loss of control. Many teen mothers report feeling bombarded by expectations and isolated from their friends. These mental health concerns might seem like they only impact the mother, but research shows that it has generational impacts. Children of teen mothers who had suicidal thoughts or suffered with depression have a much higher likelihood of developing their own mental disorders or becoming suicidal in early adulthood.

Early childbirth is also associated with an elevated risk of substance abuse. It is estimated that around 35% of teen mothers use drugs, but this rate could be much higher, because many don't report drug use to medical providers. Substance use in pregnant teens often declines during pregnancy then continues after delivery and through adulthood. The reason why many pregnant adolescents struggle with substance use is the desire to escape reality and emotional pain and struggles.

Teen mothers are also at risk for developing PTSD. This is mainly because of their high risk for violence exposure. A study found that on average, pregnant adolescents had experienced over 5 traumatic events, including abuse from a parent or partner, neglect, incarceration, and traumatic loss. Almost 50% of the sample used in a study met all criteria for PTSD. Compared to adult mothers, teen parents are 2 to 3 times more likely to be victimized by their partner, the father of their child, or a family member.

 

Healthline - https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/teenage-pregnancy-effects?

Many sources talk about mental health concerns, but less are aware of the physical health effects that pregnancy has on teenagers. According to a study published in Maternal Child Health Journal, teenage mothers had the poorest physical health of all categories of women studied. Many adolescent moms prioritize their child and neglect their own health. They also may not have access to or know about healthy foods and eating, making them more likely to be obese. This leads to many other concerns, such as preeclampsia, anemia, contracting STDs, premature delivery, and delivering at low birth weight.

 

Pediatric Research - https://www.nature.com/articles/pr1987136