Runaway and Pregnant: Risk Factors Associated with Pregnancy in a National Sample of Runaway/Homeless Female Adolescents

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 125 - 132
• Main Authors: Thompson, Sanna J., Ph.D, Bender, Kimberly A., M.S.W, Lewis, Carol M., Ph.D, Watkins, Rita, M.S.W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-08-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent health; Adolescent Pregnancy; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Databases as Topic; Female; Females; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gynecology and obstetrics; Health Services Accessibility; Homeless adolescents; Homeless Persons; Homeless young people; Homeless Youth; Homelessness; Humans; Needs Assessment; Pediatrics; Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Adolescence - statistics & numerical data; Pregnant adolescent girls; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Risk Factors; Runaway adolescents; Runaway youth; Runaways; Shelters; Teen pregnancy; United States; Vulnerable Populations; Youth; United States; North America; America; Adolescent health; Runaway youth; Teen pregnancy; Homeless adolescents; Human; One parent family; Vulnerability; Ethnic group; Infection; Running away; Pregnancy; Homeless; Sexually transmitted disease; Minority; Adolescent; Risk factor; Family environment; Female; School failure
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.12.015

Abstract Purpose Homeless youth are at particularly high risk for teen pregnancy; research indicates as many as 20% of homeless young women become pregnant. These pregnant and homeless teens lack financial resources and adequate health care, resulting in increased risk for low–birth-weight babies and high infant mortality. This study investigated individual and family-level predictors of teen pregnancy among a national sample of runaway/homeless youth in order to better understand the needs of this vulnerable population. Methods Data from the Runaway/Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHY MIS) provided a national sample of youth seeking services at crisis shelters. A sub-sample of pregnant females and a random sub-sample (matched by age) of nonpregnant females comprised the study sample (N = 951). Chi-square and t tests identified differences between pregnant and nonpregnant runaway females; maximum likelihood logistic regression identified individual and family-level predictors of teen pregnancy. Results Teen pregnancy was associated with being an ethnic minority, dropping out of school, being away from home for longer periods of time, having a sexually transmitted disease, and feeling abandoned by one's family. Family factors, such as living in a single parent household and experiencing emotional abuse by one's mother, increased the odds of a teen being pregnant. Conclusions The complex problems associated with pregnant runaway/homeless teens create challenges for short-term shelter services. Suggestions are made for extending shelter services to include referrals and coordination with teen parenting programs and other systems of care.