What medical risk is associated with teenage mothers regarding infant health?

Prepare for the PSI Perinatal Mental Health Certification Exam with interactive quizzes and detailed explanations. Gain confidence and improve your understanding of key concepts. Start practicing now!

Teenage mothers are associated with a higher risk of delivering infants with low birth weight. This can be attributed to several factors commonly seen in adolescent pregnancies, including inadequate prenatal care, nutritional deficiencies, and heightened levels of stress. Adolescents may also face socio-economic challenges that can affect their overall health and access to healthcare services, contributing to adverse outcomes such as low birth weight.

Low birth weight is a critical indicator of infant health and can lead to a variety of complications, including developmental delays, increased susceptibility to infections, and higher mortality rates. By focusing on the specific challenges faced by teenage mothers, this answer highlights a significant aspect of perinatal health that can impact both the mother and child.

The other options, such as high maternal age, advanced maternal education, and increased household income, do not pertain to the risks typically faced by teenage mothers. Instead, they often reflect factors that are more common in older mothers, where the associated health outcomes tend to be more favorable compared to those seen in teenage pregnancies.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy