Impact of adolescent motherhood, poverty, and childrearing on developmental outcomes in early childhood: Cross-sectional analysis of household surveys from Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

Background: Adolescent pregnancy poses significant challenges for their children’s health and developmental outcomes. We sought to understand how adolescent motherhood and the combined effects of poverty and childrearing practices affect early childhood development (ECD) across Latin America and the Caribbean. We had three study aims: 1) confirm the association between adolescent motherhood and ECD; 2) determine if using violent discipline is more frequent among adolescent mothers than among older mothers; and 3) analyze the impact of mothers’ beliefs about physically punishing children and partner violence on ECD, considering the mother’s adolescent status. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of MICS data from 15 countries with rounds 5 and 6 surveys. Findings: In most countries, children of adolescent mothers have lower ECD scores than other children, and the association’s significance varies when controlling for the child’s age and sex, wealth quintile, and mother’s education. We found a trend toward more negative discipline practices among adolescent mothers. Finally, a mother’s beliefs in physically punishing children and justifying partner violence, more prevalent among adolescent mothers in most countries, are associated with lower ECD scores. Interpretation: Our findings support the hypothesis that it is a combination of poverty and violent childrearing that accounts for ECD delay among children of adolescent mothers and that strategies aimed at delaying the age of motherhood need to address the socioeconomic context in which adolescent motherhood occurs. Funding: We received no dedicated funding. Arachu Castro was funded through gifts from the Zemurray Foundation for her position as the Samuel Z. Stone Chair of Public Health in Latin America at the Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Louisiana Board of Regents Endowed Chairs for Eminent Scholars Program.