Adolescent girls who experience abuse or neglect are at an increased risk of teen pregnancy
- School of Nursing, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
- Correspondence to: Dr Judith W Herrman, School of Nursing, University of Delaware, 375 McDowell Hall, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA;
Implications for practice and research
Young women experiencing maltreatment may benefit from assessment of their risk of teen pregnancy and attitudes toward the teen parenting experience.
Research should continue to explore the impact of neglect and sexual abuse on life trajectories to inform counselling, sexual health education and life goal-focused interventions.
Reductions in the rates of teen births in the USA may be attributed to increased education and services for teens targeting sexual activity, decision-making and methods of pregnancy prevention.1 Teen birth, pregnancy and abortion rates have decreased since the 1990s due to decreased rates of sexual activity among teens and increased use of contraception among sexually active teens.2 Although a positive overall trend for society, teen pregnancies and …