Abstract
Because subsequent pregnancy in teen parents often worsens the impact of adolescent parenting; therefore, a common goal of teenage parent programs has been to reduce repeat pregnancy. To examine the impact of this goal, a meta-analysis was conducted on 16 control-comparison group studies that evaluated the effect of teenage pregnancy and parenting programs on pregnancy rates. At the first follow-up period at which programs assessed outcome (average 19.13 months), interventions produced a 50% reduction in the odds of pregnancy compared to comparison-control conditions, but by second follow-up (average 31 mos.), the effect had dissipated. Moderator analyses were also performed. Implications are that secondary pregnancy prevention programs are effective in reducing teenage pregnancy—at least at 19 months following the intervention—although there is little to recommend “comprehensive” approaches to programming over others.
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