A fact sheet published by the Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy (CPEIP) reveals that the “children born to the youngest teen mothers are at greater risk of being an ‘indicated case’ of child abuse or neglect (and being placed in foster care) than are those born to older mothers.” (Interestingly, CPEIP also observes that according to a study, the “living situation of the teen mother was the single most predictive variable in terms of maltreatment,” noting that “adolescent mothers living with a related adult were much less likely to abuse or neglect their children than were those living apart from related adults.”
