Whereas most teens are preoccupied with what to do next weekend and what classes to take next year, some teens are thrust into the uncharted territory of parenthood. Not only are most teens unprepared for the news of pregnancy, they also encounter parenting issues that are multiplied as a result of their youth, lack of education and lack of resources.
Baby Health Problems
Many teen parents are forced to deal with the emotional distress of having a sick baby. Compared with babies born to older mothers, babies born to a teens are at a higher risk of being born premature, being born with low birth weight and having other serious medical problems, according to March of Dimes. Premature babies and babies with low birth weight are at higher risk of having complications such as respiratory distress syndrome, vision loss, intestinal problems and bleeding in the brain. Babies of teen mothers are also more likely to die, according to March of Dimes. In the year 2005, 16.4 of every 1,000 babies born to teens under age 15 died, in contrast with 6.8 out of every 1,000 babies born to all women.
Lack of Education
Teen parents are more likely to struggle with lack of education than older parents. According to March of Dimes, only 40 percent of teens who have babies before age 18 graduate from high school, in contrast with 75 percent of teens from similar backgrounds who don't give birth until they are 20 or 21 years old. Also, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, many teens who drop out of school to have babies don't return and lose the chance to learn the skills they need to survive as adults.
Poverty
Due to a lack of education and lack of job skills, teen parents may struggle to find and maintain a job. Over 75 percent of unmarried teen moms go on welfare within five years of having their first child, according to March of Dimes. In comparison, 7 percent of children born to married women who are high school graduates and over age 20 live in poverty. According to Education.com, parents living in poverty are more likely to be anxious, depressed and irritable and have trouble supporting their children. Also, in their stress, parents in poverty are more likely to use physical forms of punishment as opposed to methods that are more effective in the long-term.
Child Problems
Teen parents end up having children who have emotional, social and other problems, according to WomensHealthChannel.com. Children of teen parents are less likely to receive adequate nutrition and health care or cognitive and social stimulation, leading them to have trouble in school. According to March of Dimes, children born to teen moms are 50 percent more likely to repeat a grade and more likely to do poorly on standardized tests and drop out of school. Ultimately, boys born to teen mothers are 13 percent more likely to become incarcerated and girls born to teen mothers are 22 percent more likely to become teen mothers, perpetuating the cycle, according to WomensHealthChannel.com.
