Childhood predictors of becoming a teenage mother among Finnish girls

• Published in: Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica Vol. 91; no. 11; p. 1319
• Main Authors: Lehti, Venla, Niemelä, Solja, Heinze, Maria, Sillanmäki, Lauri, Helenius, Hans, Piha, Jorma, Kumpulainen, Kirsti, Tamminen, Tuula, Almqvist, Fredrik, Sourander, Andre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-11-2012
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Factors; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; Child; Cohort Studies; Conduct Disorder - epidemiology; Family Characteristics; Female; Finland - epidemiology; Humans; Logistic Models; Mothers; Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Adolescence - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; Finland
• ISSN: 1600-0412
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0412.2012.01517.x

To study predictive associations between psychosocial factors at age 8 and becoming a mother under the age of 20.
Prospective follow-up study.
Finland.
2867 girls born in 1981.
Information on family background and psychiatric symptoms was collected at age 8. The associations between these factors and becoming a teenage mother were analyzed using logistic regression analysis.
Data on births by the age of 20 collected from the hospital discharge register.
128 girls (4.8%) had given birth at the age of 15-19 years. Childhood conduct problems and hyperactive problems, having young mother and family structure other than two biological parents had an independent association with becoming a teenage mother.
Girls with externalizing type of problems in childhood have an increased risk of becoming teenage mothers. These problems may also complicate their motherhood.