Teenage pregnancy is not a new issue, and though policymakers have made token efforts toward curtailing the problem, current preventative and support programs have little effect. Their failure can be attributed to an institutional refusal to acknowledge teenagers as sexual beings, thus limiting the scope of sex education curricula. Abstinence-only…

Prenatal depressive symptoms have been linked to negative outcomes for mothers and children. Using attachment theory as a framework, this study examined developmental differences in the interpersonal context of prenatal depressive symptoms among adolescents (age 14 to 19 years; n= 352) and young adults (age 20 to 24 years; n= 348). Participants…

Maternal health behaviors such as substance use and sexual promiscuity can put the health of mothers and their offspring at risk. Sociodemographic factors including low socioeconomic status are also found to correlate with health risks for childbearing women. Hispanic women--particularly those less acculturated--often have sociodemographic risk…

This article examines the poetry, prose, and rap lyrics written by nine low-income, African American and Latino urban youths. The study is based on a 3-year research project using ethnographic methods including field observations, informal interviews, and collection of written artifacts. Part of a larger study of these youths' writing practices,…

Single teenage parents and expectant parents in four community-based programs were provided with information about establishing the paternity of their children. The information presented included the benefits, obligations and consequences of paternity establishment for the mother, father, child and society. The goal was to educate single teenagers…

This study compared some of the survey data collected by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) to information from vital records and administrative records in the First Steps Database (FSDB) for a group of women who gave birth in 1993. PRAMS is an ongoing survey of Washington women who have given birth. The FSDB contains birth…

For the past several decades, the teenage birth rate in the United States has exceeded that of other industrialized nations. To explore the factors behind this high birth rate, this volume summarizes recent research conducted in the United States on the perceived causes of teenage childbearing. This review is organized around the events leading to…

Directed at men planning to become fathers, this booklet offers recommendations on how men can increase their chances of producing physically and mentally healthy babies. A number of precautions can be taken both before and after conception. Potential effects of alcohol abuse, drug use and abuse, smoking, and toxic chemicals encountered in the…

Recognizing the importance of health care during the perinatal period, the topic for this issue of "Children in the Tropics" is prenatal development; this issue is intended for health educators for use in educating their clients about prenatal development, health care during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the needs of the mother and…

The effects of drug and alcohol use by pregnant women which concern state policymakers are discussed in this booklet. Topics discussed include: (1) the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome on infants and children, as well as the effects on children of drug use by mothers during pregnancy; (2) initiatives aimed at helping these children; (3) women…

This document presents summaries of the 147 demonstration grant projects sponsored by the federal Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Their Infants initiative, which is jointly funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. This substance abuse prevention grant program, the largest federally funded…

Interactive theater typically involves the presentation of a short skit tied to a socially relevant issue such as teenage pregnancy or the use of illegal substances. Interactive theater, with some cautions considered, holds much promise as an educational tool to be used by a school counselor. Cautions requiring consideration include: thorough…

This resource bulletin focuses on problems in the lives of adolescents that affect students' engagement in schoolwork (drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, the increasing adolescent suicide rate) and considers the school's role with and responsibility for troubled students. It looks specifically at the high school's use of support groups to help such…

This illustrated story, written for Native American children, stresses the importance of not drinking alcohol and taking care of oneself during pregnancy. The story centers on Bah, a young Native American girl whose mother is going to have a baby. Bah is very excited about getting a baby brother or sister and wants the baby to be healthy and…

High risk parenting and child abuse are the consequences of multiple and interactive factors. The occurrence of major life events such as death, divorce, marriage, and pregnancy frequently presents stressors that may ignite an already volatile family situation. This study was conducted to examine the incidence of reported major life events in…