The relationship between early maltreatment and teenage parenthood

In a longitudinal study of the effects of early childhood maltreatment, 92 adolescents who had become parents while under 20 years of age were compared to 297 adolescents who had not become parents during their teenage years. Preschool and school-age physical abuse alone and in combination with neglect were found to have significant relationships with teenage parenthood. Low self-esteem, as evaluated by elementary school teachers, was related to both early maltreatment and teenage parenthood. Sexual abuse, based on retrospective reports of the adolescents, had a significant but weaker relationship to teenage parenthood. The implications of these findings and the findings that high school dropout, assaultive behavior, and drug use are also related to teenage parenthood are discussed.