A population-based examination of maltreatment history among adolescent mothers in California.
OBJECTIVE
To document the abuse and neglect histories of adolescent mothers using official child protection records.


METHODS
Vital birth records were used to identify adolescents 12-19 years of age who were born in California and gave birth in 2009. These records were linked to statewide child protective service data to determine maternal history of alleged and substantiated maltreatment victimization, as well as placement in foster care.


RESULTS
A total of 35,098 adolescents gave birth in 2009. Before conception, 44.9% had been reported for maltreatment, 20.8% had been substantiated as victims, and 9.7% had spent time in foster care.


CONCLUSIONS
These population-based data indicate that many adolescent mothers have had contact with child protective services as alleged or substantiated victims of abuse or neglect. Understanding the impact of childhood and adolescent maternal maltreatment on both early childbearing risk and subsequent parenting capacity is critical to the development of responsive service interventions.
School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Center for Social Services Research, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California. Electronic address: ehornste@usc.edu.
Emily
E
Putnam-Hornstein
Julie A
JA
Cederbaum
Bryn
B
King
Jaclyn
J
Cleveland
Barbara
B
Needell
D000293:Adolescent; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002669:Child Welfare; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
Child abuse and neglect; Child protective services; Maltreatment; Teen pregnancy