Background: To examine the associations between adolescent pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes on substance use and suicide attempts in a sample who is at greater risk for substance use and suicide attempts -- those who have been involved with the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Methods: Using a prospective, longitudinal design, we…

Background: More knowledge about the particularities of pregnancy and childbirth in women with Down syndrome (DS) might improve medical and psychosocial support for expectant mothers. Method: In a sample of 351 pregnancies, women with DS were compared with women with other forms of intellectual disabilities (ID) and women without ID with regard to…

Purpose: Group prenatal care, which integrates medical care with patient education and empowerment in a group setting, has the potential to build social support among pregnant women and reduce the risk of postpartum depression (PPD). Past research on group care's effects on social support or PPD has produced inconsistent findings. Studies have…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine correlates of reproductive coercion (RC) among a sample of college women in abusive relationships. Participants: 354 college students reporting a recent history of intimate partner violence (IPV). Methods: This study examines baseline data from a randomized controlled trial testing effectiveness…

There is a growing body of research, primarily from the U.S. context, indicating that abstinence-only education (AOE) is largely ineffective (Kohler, P. K., L. E. Manhart, and W. E. Lafferty. 2008. "Abstinence-only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy." "Journal of Adolescent…

Objective: To identify preferences for and use of short-acting hormonal (e.g., oral contraceptives, injectable contraception) or long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) among community college students in Texas. Participants: Female community college students, ages 18 to 24, at risk of pregnancy, sampled in Fall 2014 or Spring 2015 (N = 966).…

Background: It is well established that valproate, and its valproic acid, sodium valproate, and valproate semisodium forms is a highly teratogenic drug and evidence suggests that use in pregnancy leads to physical birth defects in 10% of children born compared with a background rate of 2% to 3%. Congenital malformations associated with valproate…

Psychosocial risk conditions can predict postpartum depression (PPD) which can reduce maternal investment into child. We examined, in high-risk Brazilian mothers, PPD predictors measured during pregnancy, and PPD effects on maternal behaviors measured at 4-5 months. 35 depressed (D) and 38 nondepressed (ND) mothers had four behaviors (gaze, smile,…

The concept of "adaptive leadership" refers to principles that allow professionals and organizations to respond effectively in challenging circumstances. This article presents the personal reflections of a ZERO TO THREE Fellow on selected adaptive leadership principles in action. The author explains how adaptive leadership tools informed…

Research evidence suggests children experiencing adversity are at risk of language disparities in early childhood. This puts these children at risk of poor language outcomes, perpetuating disadvantage in later development and academic life. This study aimed to investigate associations between Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) attendance,…

In Tanzania, young women aged 15-24 are at high risk for HIV and nearly half (45%) of women experience pregnancy or childbirth before age 19. The HIV epidemic has motivated many parents to overcome cultural taboos and talk with their children about sexuality, but few studies in Tanzania have examined how young adults perceive these discussions.…

Educational backgrounds of incarcerated women differ from study to study, proportionate to the rest of the country; incarcerated women possess lower levels of educational attainment when they enter prison. Approximately 56% of women incarcerated in state prison entered without a high school diploma. Prior research on urban prisons indicates…

Growing recognition of the harmful effects of child marriage has placed its elimination on the global and national agenda. To address this problem, the authors reviewed the global state of evidence on what works to prevent child marriage. Their research focuses exclusively on rigorously evaluated interventions, defined as interventions evaluated…

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) present serious problems for the twenty-first century. These disorders describe a variety of neurological and behavioral deficits that result from exposure of an unborn child to alcohol during pregnancy. While thousands of children are diagnosed with FASD annually, FASD is completely preventable if women…

Research has determined that the prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEP) must occur preconceptually, either by reducing alcohol intake in women planning pregnancy or at risk for becoming pregnant, or by preventing pregnancy in women drinking at risky levels. One such AEP prevention programme with non-pregnant American-Indian (AI) women is…