An umbrella review of meta‐analyses of interventions to improve maternal outcomes for teen mothers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to perform an umbrella review of meta‐analyses of intervention studies designed to improve outcomes of pregnant or parenting teenagers. An extensive search retrieved nine reports which provided 21 meta‐analyses analyses. Data were extracted by two reviewers. Methodological quality was assessed using the AMSTAR Instrument. Most effect sizes were small but high quality studies showed significant outcomes for reduced low birth weight (RR = 0.60), repeat pregnancies/births (OR = 0.47–0.62), maternal education (OR = 1.21–1.83), and maternal employment (OR = 1.26). Several parenting outcomes (parent‐child teaching interaction post‐intervention [SMD = −0.91] and at follow‐up [SMD = −1.07], and parent‐child relationship post‐intervention [SMD = −0.71] and at follow‐up [SMD = −0.90]) were significant, but sample sizes were very small. Many reports did not include moderator analyses. Behavioral interventions offer limited resources and occur too late to mitigate the educational and social disparities that precede teen pregnancy. Future intervention research and policies that redress the social determinants of early childbearing are recommended.

An Umbrella Review of Qualitative Research on Teen Mothering

“…Behavioral interventions have generally shown minimal to small effectiveness in improving parenting and life-course outcomes for teen mothers and their children (Aslam et al, 2017; Charles et al, 2016; Frarey et al, 2019; Harding et al, 2020; SmithBattle at al., 2017; Whitaker et al, 2016). Intervention studies may be too weak or offered too late to mitigate the childhood adversities and social inequities that infuse teen parenting (SmithBattle et al, 2017), and interventions that implicitly embrace neoliberal assumptions may contribute to stigma (Guell et al, 2018). Designing interventions to support the transformative potential of mothering and mitigate its precarious nature would be more consistent with teen mothers’ perspectives and may bolster their acceptability, uptake, and effectiveness (Aslam et al, 2017; Charles et al, 2016; Whitaker et al, 2016).…”

A Systematic Review of Programs to Promote Aspects of Teen Parents’ Self-sufficiency: Supporting Educational Outcomes and Healthy Birth Spacing

“… What are the characteristics of effective programs? Past meta-analyses suggest that programs can promote positive outcomes among expectant and parenting teens, including improving teen mothers’ education (Baytop 2006 ; Steinka-Fry et al 2013 ) and preventing subsequent births (Corcoran and Pillai 2007 ), although an umbrella review of these prior meta-analyses illustrated that effects were small (SmithBattle et al 2017 ). In this review, we extend these past reviews by examining recent evidence about how a broad range of programs to support teen mothers and fathers affect a set of outcomes related to self-sufficiency, including education, contraceptive use, and repeat pregnancies or births.…”

Healthcare professionals’ views on supporting young mothers with eating and moving during and after pregnancy: An interview study using the COM‐B framework

“…Second, even for those professionals with high levels of self‐efficacy, behavioural change for young women was also said to be difficult because of the perceived impact of the broader social determinants of health (World Health Organisation, ) on young women's lives. This is supported by research that suggests that individually focused interventions cannot mitigate the ‘social disparities that precede teen pregnancy’ (SmithBattle, Loman, Chantamit‐o‐pas, & Schneider, , p.97) and that cultural change is required (Barker, ).…”