A previous study (1985) demonstrated that the Family Stress Checklist accurately identifies neonates who are at risk for abuse and neglect. The intent of this part 1 study was to determine if prenatal health care and social service providers could use the Family Stress Checklist to systematically identify a subgroup of the participants in an adolescent-oriented antenatal program who would be more likely to benefit from an intensive, home-based parenting intervention. Two-hundred and sixty-two participants in an adolescent-oriented maternity program, the Colorado Adolescent Maternity Program (CAMP) participated in the study. The Family Stress Checklist was used during the prenatal period to quantify abuse potential. The study demonstrates that prenatal health care and social service providers can use the Family Stress Checklist to systematically identify a subgroup of adolescent mothers, whose excessive use of the acute care services offered in a specialized adolescent-oriented maternity program, and tendency to mistreat their children suggests the need for even more intensive support services.