ABSTRACT
Pregnancy and parenting during adolescence and use of illicit drugs place adolescents at increased risk for psychosocial problems and jeopardize optimal development. Adolescent mothers who used drugs were more likely than nonusers to report that their siblings and friends approved of their use of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. The implications of drug use and the social context of drug use have additional consequences for adolescent mothers. However, adolescents were less likely than adult women to report use of alcohol and other psychoactive drugs. Considering the risk posed by adolescent pregnancy and adolescent drug use individually, the combined effect of pregnancy, parenthood, and drug use on adolescent development and outcomes is potentially serious. Adolescent mothers who use drugs may be a subgroup of adolescent mothers who are at greater risk for negative outcomes than other mothers and who perhaps account for a substantial proportion of the observed negative outcomes in population.
