Introduction: Expectant and parenting teens experience many challenges to achieving self-sufficiency and promoting their children's healthy development. Teen parents need support to help them address these challenges, and many different types of programs aim to support them. In this systematic review, we examine the research about programs that aim to support aspects of teen parents' self-sufficiency by promoting their educational outcomes and healthy birth spacing.
Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search of published and unpublished literature to identify studies of programs to support teen parents that met this review's eligibility criteria. The quality and execution of the eligible study research designs were assessed to determine whether studies' findings were at risk of bias. We then extracted information about study characteristics, outcomes, and program characteristics for studies considered to provide rigorous evidence.
Results: We identified 58 eligible studies. Twenty-three studies were considered to provide rigorous evidence about either education, contraceptive use, or repeat pregnancy or birth. Seventeen of these studies showed at least one favorable effect on an outcome in one of these domains, whereas the other six did not show any significant or substantial effects in these domains. These 17 studies represent 14 effective programs.
Discussion: Effective programs to support expectant and parenting teens have diverse characteristics, indicating there is no single approach for promoting teens' education and healthy birth spacing. More rigorous studies of programs to support teen parents are needed to understand more about how to support teen fathers and the program characteristics associated with effectiveness.
Keywords: Educational; Pregnant teens; Repeat pregnancy; Systematic review; Teen parents.