Demographic and relationship predictors of paternity establishment for infants born to adolescent mothers

Care of Adolescent Parents and Their Children

Teen pregnancy and parenting remain important public health issues in the United States and around the world. A significant proportion of teen parents reside with their families of origin, which may positively or negatively affect the family structure. Teen parents, defined as those 15 to 19 years of age, are at high risk for repeat births. Pediatricians can play an important role in the care of adolescent parents and their children. This clinical report updates a previous report on the care of adolescent parents and their children and addresses clinical management specific to this population, including updates on breastfeeding, prenatal management, and adjustments to parenthood. Challenges unique to teen parents and their children are reviewed, along with suggestions for the pediatrician on models for intervention and care.

Establishment of Legal Paternity for Children of Unmarried American Women : Trade-Offs in Male Commitment to Paternal Investment

The establishment of a legal father for children of unmarried parents reflects both high paternity confidence and male willingness to commit to paternal investment. Whether an unmarried man voluntarily acknowledges paternity after a child is born has important consequences for both the mother and child. This paper brings to bear a life history perspective on paternity establishment, noting that men face trade-offs between mating and parental effort and that women will adjust their investment in children based on expected male investment. I predict that paternity establishment will be more likely when the mother has high socioeconomic status, when maternal health is good, and when the child is male, low parity, or a singleton (versus multiple) birth. I further predict that establishment of paternity will be associated with increased maternal investment in offspring, resulting in healthier babies with higher birthweights who are more likely to be breastfed. These predictions are tested using data on 5.4 million births in the United States from 2009 through 2013. Overall the results are consistent with the hypothesis that the trade-offs men face between reproductive and parental investment influence whether men voluntarily acknowledge paternity when a child is born.

Maternal adjustment and maternal attitudes in adolescent and adult pregnant women

STUDY OBJECTIVE

This study analyzes differences between adolescent and adult pregnant women and the contribution of maternal age to maternal adjustment and maternal attitudes during pregnancy.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A sample of 398 Portuguese pregnant women (111 younger than 19 years) was recruited in a Portuguese Maternity Hospital and completed the Maternal Adjustment and Maternal Attitudes Questionnaire between the 24(th) and 36(th) weeks of gestation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Maternal Adjustment and Maternal Attitudes Questionnaire(1) RESULTS: Adolescent pregnant women show lower maternal adjustment (poorer body image and worse marital relationship) and poorer maternal attitudes (more negative attitudes to sex) than adult pregnant women. When controlling for socio-demographics, age at pregnancy predicts poorer body image and more negative attitudes to sex, but not a worse marital relationship, more somatic symptoms or negative attitudes to pregnancy and the baby. A worse marital relationship was better predicted by living without the partner, and more somatic symptoms and negative attitudes to pregnancy and the baby was predicted by higher education.

CONCLUSION

Adolescent pregnant women show lower maternal adjustment and poorer maternal attitudes than adult pregnant women according to socio-demographics and unfavorable developmental circumstances.