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Pubertal Development and Pregnancy Outcomes Among System-Involved Youth
Nadine M Finigan-Carr1, Jessica Duncan Cance2, Rochon Steward3
1School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Social Work in Public Health
|August 13, 2024
Summary
System-involved youth face high risks for sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues, including early puberty and pregnancy. Targeted interventions are crucial to address their unique SRH needs.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- Reproductive Health
- Social Determinants of Health
Background:
- System-involved youth are a vulnerable population with elevated risks for adverse sexual reproductive health (SRH) outcomes.
- Risk factors include histories of abuse/neglect, lack of adult support, and limited opportunities for healthy relationships.
- Pubertal development issues are often unaddressed in this demographic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between self-reported pubertal timing and the odds of pregnancy among sexually active, system-involved adolescents.
- To highlight the need for tailored SRH interventions for this population.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 301 system-involved adolescents in an SRH intervention, restricted to 229 sexually active participants at baseline.
- Descriptive statistics for participant demographics and SRH characteristics.
- Logistic regression to assess the association between early pubertal development and pregnancy risk.
Main Results:
- The study population comprised primarily African American adolescents aged 13-21.
- Over 70% reported an early age of first sexual intercourse.
- Approximately 25% self-reported early pubertal development.
Conclusions:
- Early pubertal development and early age of first sex are prevalent in system-involved youth.
- Findings underscore the necessity of developing specialized programming to address the unique SRH needs of system-involved adolescents.
- Interventions should consider pubertal timing as a factor in SRH risk and outcomes.
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