Nonmarital School-Age Motherhood: Family, Individual, and School Influences.

Despite a voluminous literature on the determinants of adolescent parenthood, little research exists on school-level influences on nonmarital, school-age motherhood. To address this gap, analyses of data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) were conducted to determine individual, family, and school-level predictors of nonmarital motherhood of girls between eighth and twelfth grade for a nationally representative sample. All independent variables were measured in eighth grade, and the analyses were repeated separately for black adolescents and white adolescents. The analyses indicated that school safety was an important predictor of nonmarital motherhood. However, school context did not override the effects of family- and individual-level influences. Low individual educational performance measures, such as low test scores and grades, predicted a higher risk of early motherhood, as did being held back in school and repeatedly changing schools. A substantial level of involvement in school clubs and religious organizations was associated with a lower risk of school-age motherhood. Among blacks, attending sexuality education at least once a week was associated with a greater risk of having a nonmarital birth. In general, adolescents least prepared for motherhood and least prepared to be self-sufficient were at the greatest risk of a nonmarital birth during the high school years. (Contains 61 references.) (Author)