Poster Session #1: South UC Ballroom
Teen Mothers’ Educational Attainment and Delinquency in Children
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Nicole McCray
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Psychology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Although births to adolescent mothers have been steadily declining since the 1990s, each year more than 400,000 adolescent women in the United States give birth and teen parenting still represents a significant social problem. Adolescent child bearing has been associated with a variety of negative outcomes for young mothers including, lower levels of education, unemployment, poverty, unstable relationships, and greater life transitions. In addition to the risks for young mothers, it has been well established that children born to teen mothers are at a greater risk for experiencing adverse outcomes such as lower academic achievement, and greater likelihood of behavioral problems and delinquency. Given the risks associated with teen parenting, it is important for researchers to identify factors that may decrease the likelihood of such negative outcomes. So far, researchers have not examined the relationship between mothers’ educational attainment and delinquency in children. The present study will analyze data obtained from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study. FF is a nationally representative longitudinal study that has systematically gathered data on children exposed to multiple risks. The present study will focus on a subset of teen mothers (N=815) in order to examine the relationship between mothers’ education completion and children’s delinquent behavior, exploring several potential mediators and moderators. We predict that as maternal education levels increase, a child’s likelihood of engaging in delinquent behaviors will decrease. Logistic regression analyses will be used to examine mother’s educational attainment as a predictor of children’s delinquent behavior and to look for potential mediators. This study will add to the growing body of research that seeks to identify characteristics of teen mothers that buffer the negative outcomes associated with teen parenting. Providing young mothers with opportunities to complete additional schooling may benefit teens and their offspring in many ways.
Category
Social Sciences
Teen Mothers’ Educational Attainment and Delinquency in Children
South UC Ballroom
Although births to adolescent mothers have been steadily declining since the 1990s, each year more than 400,000 adolescent women in the United States give birth and teen parenting still represents a significant social problem. Adolescent child bearing has been associated with a variety of negative outcomes for young mothers including, lower levels of education, unemployment, poverty, unstable relationships, and greater life transitions. In addition to the risks for young mothers, it has been well established that children born to teen mothers are at a greater risk for experiencing adverse outcomes such as lower academic achievement, and greater likelihood of behavioral problems and delinquency. Given the risks associated with teen parenting, it is important for researchers to identify factors that may decrease the likelihood of such negative outcomes. So far, researchers have not examined the relationship between mothers’ educational attainment and delinquency in children. The present study will analyze data obtained from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study. FF is a nationally representative longitudinal study that has systematically gathered data on children exposed to multiple risks. The present study will focus on a subset of teen mothers (N=815) in order to examine the relationship between mothers’ education completion and children’s delinquent behavior, exploring several potential mediators and moderators. We predict that as maternal education levels increase, a child’s likelihood of engaging in delinquent behaviors will decrease. Logistic regression analyses will be used to examine mother’s educational attainment as a predictor of children’s delinquent behavior and to look for potential mediators. This study will add to the growing body of research that seeks to identify characteristics of teen mothers that buffer the negative outcomes associated with teen parenting. Providing young mothers with opportunities to complete additional schooling may benefit teens and their offspring in many ways.