1 Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
2 Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CA.
Child Maltreat. 2018 May;23(2):166-174. doi: 10.1177/1077559517733816. Epub 2017 Oct 15.
This study explores rates of early pregnancy and parenthood among a sample of young adults ( N = 215), ages 18-22, with a history of foster care. The study also compares the educational attainment, financial resources, and homelessness experiences of young adults who became parents to those who did not. By age 21, 49% of the young women became pregnant, and 33% of young men reported getting someone pregnant. Over a quarter of participants experienced parenthood, which was associated with lower educational attainment, less employment, not having a checking or savings account, and a history of homelessness. Gender moderated the association between parenthood and employment such that males who were parents were more likely than female parents to be employed. Given that these young adults were at risk of early pregnancy and parenthood regardless of emancipation status and across several racial/ethnic groups, the results suggest a need for early pregnancy prevention efforts for all youth with child welfare involvement as well as improving resources and support for those who become young parents.
本研究调查了一组有寄养经历的 18-22 岁年轻成年人（N=215）的早期怀孕和为人父母的比例。该研究还比较了成为父母的年轻成年人与未成为父母的年轻成年人在教育程度、经济资源和无家可归经历方面的差异。到 21 岁时，49%的年轻女性怀孕，33%的年轻男性报告使他人怀孕。超过四分之一的参与者经历了为人父母，这与较低的教育程度、较少的就业、没有支票或储蓄账户以及有过无家可归经历有关。性别调节了为人父母与就业之间的关系，即为人父母的男性比为人父母的女性更有可能就业。鉴于这些年轻人无论是否获得解放身份，以及跨越多个种族/族裔群体，都有早期怀孕和为人父母的风险，这表明需要对所有有儿童福利参与的年轻人进行早期怀孕预防工作，并为那些成为年轻父母的人提供更多的资源和支持。
