Unpredicted Trajectories: The Relationship Between Race/Ethnicity, Pregnancy During Adolescence, and Young Women's Outcomes

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 143 - 150
• Main Authors: Casares, Whitney N., M.D., M.P.H, Lahiff, Maureen, Ph.D, Eskenazi, Brenda, Ph.D, Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie L., Ph.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.08.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Add Health; Adolescent; Adolescent pregnancy; Adolescents; Adult; Age Distribution; Attitude to Health; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Continental Population Groups - statistics & numerical data; Delivery. Postpartum. Lactation; Educational attainment; Educational Status; Effect modification; Ethnic Groups - statistics & numerical data; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gynecology and obstetrics; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Health disparities; Health Status; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Maternal, fetal and perinatal monitoring; Medical sciences; Odds Ratio; Pediatrics; Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Adolescence - statistics & numerical data; Pregnant adolescent girls; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Public Assistance; Race; Race/ethnicity; Racial differences; Self-perceived health; Teen pregnancy; United States; Young Adult; Young women; United States; USA; Adolescent pregnancy; Public assistance; Race/ethnicity; Effect modification; Teen pregnancy; Add Health; Self-perceived health; Educational attainment; Health disparities; Human; Social Inequality; Education level; Self perception; Ethnic group; Pregnancy; Health status; Sociodemographic factor; Adolescent; Young adult; Risk factor; Race; Female; Predictive factor
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.01.013

Abstract Purpose Adolescents who become pregnant in the United States are at higher risk for a myriad of health concerns. One would predict even more adverse health outcomes among pregnant adolescents who are from disadvantaged racial/ethnic groups; however, previous studies indirectly suggest the opposite. This study examines whether adolescents from racial/ethnic minority groups are less affected by adolescent pregnancy compared to white adolescents. Methods We used data from 1,867 adolescents participating in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1995--2001). Our predictor variable was self-reported race/ethnicity. Self-perception of health, educational attainment, and public assistance use in young adulthood were outcome measures. We conducted weighted multivariate logistic regressions and analyzed how adolescent pregnancy modified the relationship between our predictor and outcome variables. Results Black and American Indian young women had significantly higher odds than white young women of receiving public assistance (OR, 2.6 and 2.7, respectively; p <.01) and even higher odds if ever pregnant in adolescence (OR, 4.2 and 19.0, respectively; p = .03). White young women had significantly lower odds of high educational attainment if they had a live birth in adolescence as compared to those who had not (OR, 0.1; CI = 0.1--0.4). Conclusions These findings support studies that found adolescent pregnancy increases the risk of public assistance use and low educational attainment. The study shows that, for educational attainment, black young women who become pregnant may not be as disadvantaged as their peers, whereas white young women who become pregnant are more disadvantaged.