Risks and Negative Consequences
Demands associated with pregnancy and parenting
often absorb large portions of adolescents’ energy and
abilities, leaving little time for accomplishing normative
tasks of adolescence, such as developing meaningful
relationships with peers and establishing greater
autonomy from parents and other family members.
The demands of parenting may also delay school and
occupational plans, impeding intellectual development
and economic self-sufficiency. While potential
developmental consequences of pregnancy and parenting
have not been studied extensively, some evidence
suggests that early childbearing can hinder a
young woman’s developmental transition into adulthood.
Adolescent pregnancy and parenting may
increase risk for the following negative psychosocial
outcomes:16
• Delayed intellectual development
• Less developed sense of self
• Limited peer interactions
• Increased risk for anxiety and depression
• Increased risk for child abuse and neglect
Additionally, pregnancy and parenting during adolescence
have been associated with the following socioeconomic
outcomes:17, 18
• Reduced educational attainment
• Greater number of pregnancies, including unwanted
pregnancies
• Lower occupational attainment and lower income
• Greater welfare dependency
• Marital instability
It is difficult to disentangle the negative outcomes that
may result from early pregnancy and parenting from
the social and developmental risk factors that lead to
teen pregnancy. Those adolescents at highest risk for
childbearing are also at most risk for these negative
outcomes regardless of whether or not they become
a parent during their teenage years. Many of the
socioeconomic and developmental disparities between
teen and adult mothers may be due to factors other
than adolescent childbearing, including poverty, early