Father of baby involvement as a predictor of rapid repeat pregnancy in adolescent mothers

Adolescent mothers are at high risk for repeat pregnancy, yet little is known regarding how father of baby's (FOB) involvement affects this risk. Upon enrollment in a teen-tot program, teens self-reported whether they were in a committed relationship with the FOB. The number of repeat pregnancies at 6 and 12 months after birth of the first baby was assessed by retrospective chart review. Fischer exact tests were used to determine the association between perceived commitment to FOB and second pregnancy. At baseline, mean age of mothers (n=122) was 17.3 +/- 1.2 years and children 3.0 +/- .35 months; 43.4% were African American, 57.4% were Latina. Repeat pregnancies at 6 and 12 months were 10/118 (8.5%) and 23/114 (20.2%), respectively. Teens who described themselves as being in committed relationships with the fathers of their children at baseline were more likely to have a repeat pregnancy than their counterparts not in a committed relationship: 13.7% vs. 0% at 6 months (p=.013) and 24.7% vs. 11.4% at 12 months (p=.096). Both teens who reported that the FOB helped in "other ways" (chores, watch child) and teens who received financial aid from their spouse/partner were more likely to have a repeat pregnancy at 12 months (p=.035 and p=.084, respectively). Our findings suggest that teen mothers who report being in supportive or committed relationships with the FOBs are at increased risk for repeat pregnancy. Intervention strategies should start in the newborn period and focus on partner communication and family planning methods and involve both parents.