The literature dealing with the effects of adolescent childbearing on postnatal
infant development is critically reviewed in this paper. The data concerning
intellectual development, mental retardation, physical, motor, and neurological
development, academic achievement, and social and emotional development as a
functuon of maternal age are presented. It is concluded that the existing data on
the developmental sequelae of adolescent childbearing lends only minimal support to
the hypothesis that maternal immaturity places the newborn infant at increased
developmental risk. Nevertheless, because of the socioeconomic characteristics of
adolescent mothers, the outlook for infants of such mothers is dismal primarily
because of postnatal environmental factors. Some suggestions for future research in
this area are offered.
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