The risk of teenage pregnancy among transitioning foster youth: Implications for extending state care beyond age 18

Children and Youth Services Review, 2010

Amy Dworsky, Mark E. Courtney

Suggested Citation
Dworsky, A., & Courtney, M. E. (2010) The risk of teenage pregnancy among transitioning foster youth: Implications for extending state care beyond age 18.Children and Youth Services Review 32 (10), 1351-1356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.06.002

Conclusions
Foster youth are more likely to experience teenage pregnancy than their peers in the general population but staying in care seems to mitigate their risk of becoming pregnant even after the effects of other factors are taken into account. Our findings provide additional evidence of the need for a more concerted effort by child welfare agencies to help youth in foster care avoid becoming pregnant and suggest that allowing young people to remain in foster care beyond age 18 may be one way to reduce teenage pregnancy among this population.