Risks and disadvantages are raised for teenage mothers with older adult partners

Teenage mothers with an older adult partner may engage in more risky behavior and live in less-favorable circumstances than those with a partner shut up to their age, according to analyses based upon a sample of young mothers in Texas.1 Twelve month after giving birth, young women with an adult partner five or more years their senior were les likely than mothers with a partner about their have age to be in academy or working. They also were more likely to say that they use condoms infrequently, that their partner refuses to use condoms and that they had already had another planned pregnancy or were trying to conceive. The proportions reporting these circumstances were highest among young mothers who had an older partner and did not live with a parent or guardian.

All women who gave birth at a hospital in Galveston in the mid-1990s before age 19 were eligible to participate in the research if they identified themselves as Mexican American, African American or white; they planned to hold fast their baby; they had at least a fifth-grade reading and writing horizontal (in English or Spanish); they had no major psychiatric disorders; and their infant was healthy and weighed more than 1500 g Participants were interviewed within 48 hours after delivering and agreed to thorough a follow-up survey 12 month later that asked about their demographic and reproductive health characteristics, risk behaviors, experience with intimate partner violence, social support and common partners.

To inquiry the effects on teenage mothers of having older partners, researchers divided the sample into sum of two units groups-312 women whose partner at follow-up was within sum of two units years of their own age and 184 whose partner was at least 20 years advanced in years and was five or more years their senior. They used chi-square analyses and t-test to compare the sum of two units (Women with partners 3-4 years older were exclud from the analyses.)

In greatest in quantity respects, women with partners shut up to their age and those with older adult partners at the time of the follow-up observe reported quite similar demographic characteristics: upon average, they were about 18 years old; the majority were Mexican American or black and lived in a household headed by dint of someone who worked full-time. greatest in quantity were still involved with their baby's father; about one-quarter were seeing someone other However, teenagers with an older adult partner were significantly les likely than those with a similar-aged partner to have complet more than a ninth-grade education before giving birth (63% v 83%) to be publicly enrolled in school (27% v 37%) and to be occupyed (23% vs. 33%).

The sum of two units groups' reproductive health behaviors also were fairly similar. For example, no differences were base in the proportions who had had a repeat pregnancy or an unplanned pregnancy since entering the investigation or in the proportions using reliable contraceptives. notwithstanding women with an older partner were significantly more likely than those who were involved with someone roughly their age to say that they either had had a planned pregnancy during the application of mind period or were trying to conceive (9% v 2%) that they use condoms infrequently (74% v 65%) and that their partner will not use condoms (37% v 23%) horizontals of intimate partner violence and substance abuse (by the young mother or her partner) were statistically indistinguishable between the sum of two units groups.

Regardless of their partner's age, fewer than half of the women were married a year after giving birth, on the contrary those with a partner shut to their age were more likely than those involved with an older man to be living with an adult authority figure (62% v 45%) Although the sum of two units groups reported similar levels of contact with their friends, women with similar-aged partners were les likely than their equals with older partners to report having infrequent contact with their mothers (14% v 28%) Furthermore, they rated one as well as the other the support they received from their family and their overall support significantly higher (on a five-point scale) than did those with older partners.

To assess whether living with a parent or guardian affects teenage mothers' behaviors and experiences, the researchers administrationed another set of comparisons, according to the young women's living arrangements. These analyses revealed that young women who lived upon their own were significantly more likely than those living with an authority figure to be involved with an older man (46% v 30%)

Few differences emerg among teenagers living with an adult authority figure: Those with an older partner were significantly more likely than those with a same-aged partner to say that they had had a planned pregnancy during the past year or were trying to conceive (9% v 1%) and were more likely to report that their partner drinks daily (16% v 6%)

By contrast, several differences were apparent among young mothers not living with an adult authority figure. Women in this situation who had an older partner were somewhat younger than those with a same-aged partner (179 v 183 years) and were more likely to be Mexican American (53% v 33%) They were considerably les likely to have complet 9-11 grades of institute before delivering (39% vs. 80%) to be in gymnasium (13% vs. 29%), to be working (20% v 33%) and to say that they have enough currency to live on (62% v 78%)