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Midlife Impacts of Adolescent Parenthood

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, julie.l.taylor{at}vanderbilt.edu

The present study examined the midlife outcomes of 548 adults who became parents before the age of 20. Participants were from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) and were followed prospectively from age 18 until age 53. Their life-course development was compared to sample members who gave birth at the mean age for the WLS. Midlife outcomes were assessed in five domains: educational and occupational attainment, family formation, social participation and support, physical health, and psychological health. Compared to delayed child bearers, early child bearers completed less schooling and, in midlife, had less prestigious occupations, more unstable marriages, and were less physically healthy. Differences were not evident in appraisals of job and marital satisfaction, social support, and psychological health, revealing areas of positive adaptation as well as areas of vulnerability unique to adolescent parenthood.

Key Words: adolescent mother • midlife • longitudinal

This version was published on April 1, 2009

Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 30, No. 4, 484-510 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0192513X08329601


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