With accumulating evidence that the younger siblings of childbearing teens are at elevated risk for premature pregnancy themselves, it is both timely and important to investigate how a teen's pregnancy and parenting influence the younger siblings in the teen's family of origin. The proposed research is a 36-month longitudinal study designed to identify the psychosocial, attitudinal, and behavioral consequences of adolescent childbearing on younger siblings and how such effects may contribute to the reported early sexual involvement and elevated rate of premarital pregnancy among the younger siblings. These issues will be addressed by studying two groups of early adolescents (boys and girls, ages 11-to 13-years-old) at three points over a 3-year period: the younger siblings of pregnant teens (N=200) and the younger siblings of nulliparous (never pregnant) teens (N=200). The younger siblings of pregnant adolescents will be recruited from five city- wide sites that cumulatively serve over 3000 pregnant adolescents per year. The younger siblings of nulliparous teens will be recruited from the UCSD Adolescent Medicine Clinic. At each of the three times of assessment, subjects will complete an extensive interview and questionnaire which assess the qualities of their relationship with the older sister, their sexual attitudes, self-esteem, peer relations, deviant behaviors, future plans, pubertal status and sexual intentions and activity. Data will also be collected on subjects' parents regarding their parenting style and sexual attitudes and the older sister regarding her school performance and psychosocial functioning. A full range of statistical strategies will be used to address between group (within time) questions and within group- across time questions, such as: To what degree are the two groups of siblings differentially at-risk for low self-esteem, problem behaviors, association with deviant peers, permissive sexual intentions, and early sexual initiation?; To what extent are younger siblings' sexual attitudes and values affected by a sister's pregnancy and childbearing, and do these factors mediate the effects on sibling sexual-fertility outcomes? It is intended that the data from the proposed study will be useful in understanding the underlying processes associated with the reported early sexual involvement and premature pregnancy among the younger siblings of childbearing teens.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
First Independent Research Support & Transition (FIRST) Awards (R29)
Project #
5R29HD029472-03
Application #
2201900
Study Section
Social Sciences and Population Study Section (SSP)
Project Start
1992-08-01
Project End
1997-07-31
Budget Start
1994-08-01
Budget End
1995-07-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California San Diego
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
077758407
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92093
East, Patricia L; Chien, Nina C; Adams, Joyce A et al. (2010) Links between sisters' sexual and dating victimization: the roles of neighborhood crime and parental controls. J Fam Psychol 24:698-708
East, Patricia L; Khoo, Siek Toon (2005) Longitudinal pathways linking family factors and sibling relationship qualities to adolescent substance use and sexual risk behaviors. J Fam Psychol 19:571-80
East, Patricia L; Jacobson, Leanne J (2003) Mothers' differential treatment of their adolescent childbearing and nonchildbearing children: contrasts between and within families. J Fam Psychol 17:384-96
East, P L; Jacobson, L J (2001) The younger siblings of teenage mothers: a follow-up of their pregnancy risk. Dev Psychol 37:254-64
Rubin, V; East, P L (1999) Adolescents' pregnancy intentions: relations to life situations and caretaking behaviors prenatally and 2 years postpartum. J Adolesc Health 24:313-20
Adams, J A; East, P L (1999) Past physical abuse is significantly correlated with pregnancy as an adolescent. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 12:133-8
East, P L; Shi, C R (1997) Pregnant and parenting adolescents and their younger sisters: the influence of relationship qualities for younger sister outcomes. J Dev Behav Pediatr 18:84-90
East, P L (1996) The younger sisters of childbearing adolescents: their attitudes, expectations, and behaviors. Child Dev 67:267-82
East, P L (1996) Do adolescent pregnancy and childbearing affect younger siblings? Fam Plann Perspect 28:148-53
East, P L; Matthews, K L; Felice, M E (1994) Qualities of adolescent mothers' parenting. J Adolesc Health 15:163-8