Social Problem of Teen Pregnancy (Аnnotated Bibliography)

Diabelková, J., Rimárová, K., Dorko, E., Urdzík, P., Houžvičková, A., & Argalášová, U. (2023). Adolescent Pregnancy Outcomes and Risk Factors. International Journal of Environmental  Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 4113. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054113

This article focuses on the negative consequences and risk factors of early teen pregnancy, which is a primary global public health concern. The quantitative study evaluated results from 2434 mothers, comparing teenage mothers (those below 19) to adult mothers (those between 20 and 34). It discovered that women who gave birth while still in their teenage hood had lower levels of education, were single, and had a higher propensity to smoke during their pregnancy. The study also showed that infants born to teenage mothers had lower birth weights, lower Apgar scores were standard, and there was a higher risk of preterm birth in infants born to adolescent mothers. The study also stresses the issue of developing specialized interventions to meet the challenges that young teen mothers encounter.

The article is published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), an online international peer-reviewed journal published in an open-access format, and has received good ratings in editorial standards. Written by scholars from trust-worthy Slovak institutions, including the University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik and Comenius University in Bratislava, the study is based on actual research and statistical analysis, which makes it reliable. This can be attributed to the fact that the journal is indexed in reputable databases such as PubMed and Scopus, pointing to its high scholarly credibility and applicability to the public health domain.

This study is highly relevant to the social problem since it provides an understanding of outcomes and risk factors related to adolescent pregnancy. Analyzing a large sample of teenage mothers in Slovakia, the study reveals essential gaps in socio-economic and health-related to teenage mothers giving birth to infants with low birthweight and preterm than adults. The study's results may help design and implement prevention strategies and policies regarding teenage pregnancy to reduce the prevalence and adverse effects of this issue, which remains relevant worldwide.

Smith, C., Strohschein, L., & Crosnoe, R. (2018). Family Histories and Teen Pregnancy in the United States and Canada. Journal of Marriage and the Family/Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(5), 1244–1258. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12512

The effect of childhood experiences on teen pregnancy in the United States of America and Canada is discussed in this article. Through the analysis of longitudinal data from extensive national surveys, the study examines how family structure changes and childhood poverty influence teenage pregnancy rates. The study concludes that in both countries, teen pregnancy risks increase in the population of adolescents from unstable and economically insecure families and that the list of risks increases with multiple experiences of instability and poverty in the United States as well as with any childhood disadvantage in Canada.

The source is an article from a peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Marriage and Family, a reputable journal in the field of family science. Smith, Strohschein, and Crosnoe are all reputable academics from credible institutions specializing in sociology and family studies. The use of high-quality longitudinal data from two national surveys enhances the credibility and reliability of the study.

This research helps understand the social issue of teenage pregnancy because it describes the risk factors associated with childhood instability and low socio-economic status. Hence, the comparison of data from the U.S. and Canada provides an understanding of how different characteristics of the countries and their policies can affect teenage pregnancy rates. In this regard, the findings highlight the requirement for closing childhood socio-economic disparities and limiting teen pregnancy, positioning the study as a valuable resource for identifying the roots of the problem and developing policies to address the issue.