The randomized trial is the gold standard in scientific research and is used by several fields to study the effects of media. Although useful for studying the immediate response to media exposure, the experimental approach is not well suited to studying long-term effects or behavior outside the laboratory. The "natural experiment" approach, a…

While the rates of teen childbearing have declined in the United States, adolescents who become pregnant and decide to bear and rear their babies are often from low-income, highly stressed families and communities. This article will describe the psychosocial problems of pregnant urban teens and how exposure to interpersonal trauma and current…

Family structure and maternal age at birth can have a significant influence on the physical, mental and economic well-being of mothers and their children. Children born to single mothers in poverty are more likely to face unemployment as adults, drop out of high school and encounter barriers to accessing quality health care. Children of teen…

Pregnancy and childbirth can be sources of excitement and joy for many new parents, but for some women, the hormonal fluctuations and lifestyle changes associated with pregnancy and being a new mother can feel overwhelming. Although up to 85 percent of mothers may experience mood changes (sometimes referred to as the "baby blues") for a…

Because most research on military families has focused on children who are old enough to go to school, we know the least about the youngest and perhaps most vulnerable children in these families. Some of what we do know, however, is worrisome--for example, multiple deployments, which many families have experienced during the wars in Iraq and…

In 2009 the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children published "Partner Exploitation and Violence in Teenage Intimate Relationships". This publication reports on the first major study in the United Kingdom to systematically document the incidence rates and dynamics of intimate partner violence in the lives of young…

Pregnancy is a time of heightened risk for domestic violence and of increased vulnerability to traumatic events. In this article, the authors explain how the experience of domestic violence during pregnancy threatens the newborn's healthy development as well as the parent-child relationship. San Francisco General Hospital's Perinatal Child-Parent…

Over 1,000 Alaskan women experienced domestic abuse during pregnancy in 1996-97. Alaska Native and teenage mothers are at increased risk of experiencing physical abuse before or during pregnancy. Most Alaska mothers do not receive domestic violence screening during prenatal care. Domestic violence training is recommended for prenatal care…

An education and screening program is described that teaches pregnant women about child abuse and domestic violence in an attempt to break the family cycle of abuse. Using a family centered approach, the Child Protection Center Program offers a model for social workers and medical providers to address the needs of abused children and battered…

Many professionals who work with youth have adolescent parents within their clientele yet don't have the demand to create special programs for these youth. Information regarding ways to assist teen parents in the normal course of the day, without developing a teen parent program, is difficult to find. Questions about supporting teen parents were…