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Teenage Parenthood Among Child Welfare Clients: A Swedish National Cohort Study of Prevalence and Odds

NCJ Number
217801
Journal
Journal of Adolescence Volume: 30 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2007 Pages: 97-116
Author(s)
Bo Vinnerljung; Eva Franzen; Maria Danielsson
Date Published
February 2007
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This Swedish longitudinal study assessed the prevalence of teenage parenthood among thousands of former child welfare clients of both sexes with varying experiences of child welfare interventions.
Abstract
Youth who become child welfare clients in adolescence should be regarded as a high-risk group for teenage parenthood, regardless if they receive in-home or out-of-home care. Even though elevated rates and odds for some child welfare client groups can in part be statistically explained by socio-demographic background factors related to their birth families, crude prevalence figures several times higher than majority population peers remain, and indicate needs of preventive services. In an attempt to examine the prevalence and odds for teenage parenthood among child welfare clients, this study used national register data for all children born in Sweden from 1972 through 1983 (n=1,178,207), including 49,582 former child welfare clients with varying intervention experiences. The study examined the odds of socio-economic and demographic backgrounds. Special efforts were made to describe and analyze outcomes for different subgroups within the heterogeneous child welfare client population. Tables and references