The definition of the risks of adolescent childbearing has received considerable investigative attention during the last decade. We have gradually moved away from simplistically studying young maternal age as the sole determinant of biologie and psychosocial outcome, even though we recognize it is one of several factors which warrant consideration. We now recognize that if adolescents receive adequate and consistent pre­ natal care, they and their infants should do nearly as weIl as adult women and their infants of similar backgrounds. Thus, the major morbidities for adolescent mothers, adolescent fathers, and their infants are psychosocial: lack of educational and voca­ tional futures, failed marriages, and dependence on government aid for support. The adequacy of the parenting of adolescent mothers and fathers and the long-term developmental and physical outcomes of their children are largely unstudied. This book, edited by Dr. Max Sugar, a recognized authority on adolescence, focuses on the important topic of adolescent parenthood. The authors of this timely contribution approach the topic of adolescent parenthood in a unique fashion, utilizing a combination of several approaches: consideration of fictional characters in history , astute and carefully conceptual­ ized clinical observations, reviews of the literature, and their own investigation. lt will be through the use of such a creative approach that we shall define the important quest ions which should be addressed about adolescents as parents and the outcome for their children.

Adolescents and the Extended Family.- 1. The Wages of Sin: Adolescent Mothers in Nineteenth-Century Fiction.- 2. Adolescent Decision-Making Toward Motherhood.- 3. From (Re) Discovery to Ownership of the Vagina-A Contribution to the Explanation of Nonuse of Contraceptives in the Female Adolescent.- 4. The Psychodynamics of Teenage Pregnancy and Motherhood.- 5. Boys Who Make Babies.- 6. The Role of Ethnic Factors in Adolescent Pregnancy and Motherhood.- The Infant-Developmental Risks.- 7. Infants of Adolescent Mothers: Research Perspectives.- 8. Object Ties and Interaction of the Infant and Adolescent Mother.- Some Current Programs for Adolescent Parenthood.- 9. Preparing Adolescents in Child Bearing: Before and After Pregnancy.- 10. Reproductive Health Care for Teens.- 11. A Mental Health Program for Adolescent Parents.- Implications for Programs.- 12. Funding for Pregnant Adolescents: A Legislative History.- 13. The Family Context of Adolescent Parenting.