As with the general population, the adolescent mother's level of academic achievement is closely linked to her economic outcomes, including earning potential and opportunity for employment and occupation. Even those studies controlling for academic ability, motivational factors, and socioeconomic status found that early childbearers were more likely to have reduced educational attainment than later childbearers. Research also indicates that adolescent mothers are more likely to experience unemployment and poverty as an adult, and to be financially dependent on government welfare programs. Of the adolescent mothers who do marry, the majority of these marriages are unstable, with higher rates of marital discord and divorce. In terms of cognitive ability and academic achievement, assessment scores of the children of adolescent mothers are reported to be lower than the scores of children born to older mothers.
Literature regarding socioemotional outcomes is limited.
Of the data available, children of adolescent mothers have been found to have more signs of maladjustment, with greater risks of social impairment, including feelings of inferiority, fearfulness, and poor control of anger. Factors contributing to these outcomes, while not conclusive, are likely to involve the social and economic status of the adolescent mothers. Beyond the consequences posed to the adolescent mother and child as a result of early childbearing, ultimately, costs are passed onto society. Given the range and severity of consequences associated with teen pregnancy, measures to prevent this outcome are imperative. Reviewing the factors related to an increased risk of teen pregnancy should aid in the development of more effective prevention programs.