Abstract
Confirmed child abuse and neglect rates were assessed for a group of 204 low-income, low-education adolescent mothers several years after identification of the teens either as low-risk or as high risk/low-support and eligible for 18 to 27 months of home-visitation by trained child development specialists. Three groups were studied: Low-risk Contrast Group, High-risk Program Graduates, and a Dropout Comparison Group—the last group being formed unintentionally when some participants dropped out of the high risk program. The major finding of this study is that acceptance of high-risk mothers into program prior to the infant's birth made a significant difference in preventing later child abuse/neglect. Child abuse/neglect rates and subsequent parity rates were not different between high-risk program graduates and low-risk contrast group members. Both of these groups differed significantly on these two rates with the Dropout Comparison Group. However, due to the unknown nature of this comparison group, more research is needed to understand this finding. Program costs were significantly lower than county foster care costs for children placed because of child abuse. Thus, prenatal initiation of program for high-risk pregnant adolescents may provide a cost-effective boost for family mental health and prevent child abuse and neglect by at-risk families.
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Honig, A.S., Morin, C. When Should Programs for Teen Parents and Babies Begin? Longitudinal Evaluation of a Teen Parents and Babies Program. The Journal of Primary Prevention 21, 447–454 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007106811238
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007106811238