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Longitudinal Patterns of School Disengagement before Conception among New York City Teen Mothers
Author(s) -
YunzalButler Cristina,
Sackoff Judith,
Korenman Sanders
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.12886
Subject(s) - disengagement theory , attendance , demography , absenteeism , psychology , pregnancy , medicine , developmental psychology , gerontology , social psychology , sociology , biology , economics , genetics , economic growth
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND School‐based pregnancy prevention programs should optimally be offered while students are still engaged in school since early disengagement is strongly associated with risk of a teen birth. METHODS We used linked New York City birth and enrollment data (2005–2013), a sample of 6,809 teen mothers (mean age conception = 16.2 years). We measured preconception disengagement using monthly absences, age 12 until conception, and identified five attendance trajectories using group‐based trajectory modeling. RESULTS We identified five attendance trajectories that were heterogeneous with respect to age of onset and rate of increase of absenteeism. In two groups, 80% were chronically absent (CA) [2–<4 absences/month] or severely chronically absent (SCA) [4+ absences/month] at age 12, and over 90% by age 13, when they averaged 3.8–5.1 absences/month. Despite heterogeneity, 37% of teen mothers were CA or SCA at age 12, increasing to 56% by age 14. By early high school, age 15, 63% of teen mothers had absenteeism problems; 26% were CA and 37% SCA. CONCLUSIONS Most teen mothers were disengaged before high school, years before conception. School‐based pregnancy prevention programs should be offered in middle school or earlier when at‐risk students are not missing significant amounts of school and may be more receptive to prevention messages.