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Written by a pediatrician/adolescent medicine specialist and a developmental psychologist, this book is a collection of informative, nonredundant yet comprehensive studies on adolescent pregnancy and parenting. More than 200 adolescent women in an ethnically diverse sample were studied prenatally and at regular 6-month intervals for 3½ years postpartum. Most of the teens were poor, unmarried, first-time mothers who resided within Southeast San Diego, a poor urban area approximately 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The purpose of this book was to offer researchers, practitioners, pro

One hundred ten Mexican American adolescents (12–17 years) who provide infant care for their older sisters were studied to determine the effects of family caregiving responsibilities on adolescents' adjustment. Controlling for prior adjustment and family context factors, providing many hours of caregiving predicted an increase in youths' school absences and disciplinary problems. Frequent conflict surrounding caregiving was associated with increased stress and depression and lower school grades. Older girls appear to select into caregiving and experience the most problematic outcomes. Strong family obligations were not protective against caregiving stress but, rather, further compromised youths' well‐being for those who were highly involved in their family'scare.

This article critically appraises the sibling‐comparison method by pointing to the following limitations: (1) it assumes within‐family homogeneity; (2) it neglects naturally occurring heterogeneity across siblings; (3) it overlooks the unique effects of a teen's childbearing for her family and siblings; (4) it underappreciates the selectivity of sisters of teenage mothers who delay childbearing; and, (5) it ignores differences in outcomes by sisters' birth order and age spacing. Directions for future research stemming from this new literature are discussed.