ABMA, JOYCE C.
Alcohol Use Among Young Adults in 1988: Results from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
Report, Columbus OH: Center for Human Resource Research, The Ohio State University, 1991
Cohort(s): NLSY79
ID Number: 2
Publisher: Center for Human Resource Research

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This report describes some aspects of the drinking behavior of a nationally representative cohort of men and women in the United States in 1988. The data are drawn from the 1988 round of the NLSY, which include interviews with 10,466 men and women who were 23 to 30 years of age. The descriptive analyses showed that males drank both more frequently and in heavier quantities than females. Blacks drank less heavily and less often than whites and Hispanics. Socioeconomic status is associated with less abstaining, but more modest drinking patterns. Men and women who were married and those who were parents were less likely to drink, in terms of both frequency and quantity. Twenty percent of the sample reported experiencing at least one alcohol-related problem in the past year. About 15 percent of the sample experienced alcohol-related aggression problems, and the same proportion experienced problems involving loss of control over alcohol intake. Alcohol-related problems in the workplace were rare, with only 3.5 percent reporting any of those problems. A substantial proportion of the men and women had relatives whom they defined as having been alcoholics or problem drinkers - about 50 percent. Males with alcoholic relatives were slightly more likely to either abstain or drink more heavily. As the number of reported alcoholic relatives increases, so does the percentage of respondents having experienced alcohol-related problems in the past year, and this relationship pertains to both males and females. Further analyses should clarify these descriptive relationships by performing multivariate analyses, including a full range of factors associated with drinking.

ABMA, JOYCE C.
MOTT, FRANK L.
Determinants of Pregnancy Wantedness: Profiling the Population from an Interventionist Perspective
Presented: Pittsburgh, PA, International Symposium on Public Policies Toward Unwanted Pregnancies, 1990
Cohort(s): NLSY79
ID Number: 3
Publisher: Author

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Issues related to the well-being of mothers and children from pregnancies that the mother deems unwanted are of continuing concern to researchers and policy makers. Using data on a cohort of young mothers from the NLSY, this paper investigates the determinants of wantedness among women whose first pregnancies resulted in live births. A nontrivial proportion of women reported that they did not want their pregnancy at that time--34 percent. Multivariate analysis tested for the independent effects of demographic factors as well as the mother's family background characteristics, other attributes and behaviors at the time of the pregnancy, and maternal attitudes and aspirations, including fertility and education/work expectations. The analyses showed that family background characteristics were not independently related to pregnancy wantedness, but being black, young and never married retained their importance for a lower likelihood of pregnancy wantedness. It appears that motivation to limit or postpone childbearing exists for white women, but for black women, orientations toward work are less incompatible with childbearing. Regardless of motivations for childbearing, large numbers of white and especially black women continue to have unwanted pregnancies, a phenomena which deserves continued research and policy attention.

ABMA, JOYCE C.
MOTT, FRANK L.
Determinants of Pregnancy Wantedness: Profiling the Population from an Interventionist Perspective
Policy Studies Review 13,1/2 (Spring/Summer 1994): 39-62
Cohort(s): NLSY79
ID Number: 3298
Publisher: Policy Studies Organization

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Although the incidence of unwanted pregnancies has declined since the early 1970s (Pratt and Horn, 1985; Anderson, 1981; Westoff, 1981), large proportions of women continue to experience unwanted pregnancies (Forrest,1987; Pratt, 1985). Of particular concern to researchers is the well-being of mothers and children from pregnancies that are unwanted or unplanned. In 1982, among women who were ever married, 10 percent of all births were unwanted, and 28 percent mistimed. Among never-married women, fully 25 percent of all births were unwanted, and about half the remaining births were mistimed (Pratt and Horn, 1985). The focus of this research is the exploration of determinants of wantedness among women whose first pregnancies result in live births. Our analyses reflect interest in whether and how pregnancy wantedness is affected by family background characteristics, early formed attitudes, value systems, and socioeconomic aspirations, as well as maternal socio-demographic status at the ti me of the pregnancy. Policy implications emerge from the findings, particularly concerning differences and similarities in the process determining unwanted first births for blacks and whites. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Sociological Abstracts

ABMA, JOYCE C.
MOTT, FRANK L.
Is There a 'Bad Mother' Syndrome? Evidence of Overlapping High Risk Behavior During Pregnancy Among a National Cross-section of Young Mothers
Presented: Toronto, Canada, Population Association of America Meetings, May 1990
Cohort(s): NLSY79
ID Number: 4
Publisher: Population Association of America

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Growing evidence documents that significant proportions of mothers engage in behaviors considered detrimental to fetal development and infant health. These risk factors include neglect of prenatal care, excessive alcohol use, and the use of nicotine or other substances. This study explores the extent to which mothers who combine two or more of the behaviors during pregnancy, constitute a subset potentially distinct from those who engage in only one or none. The authors investigate the background factors and behaviors which differentiate these groups of mothers. The 1979 through 1986 waves of the NLSY are used for analysis of first births for about 2000 younger mothers. The study points to the limitations of population statistics on prenatal behavior patterns that present each behavior separately, and investigates the potentially compounding effect multiple risk factors can have on infants.

ABMA, JOYCE C.
MOTT, FRANK L.
Substance Use and Prenatal Care During Pregnancy Among Young Women
Family Planning Perspectives 23,3 (May-June 1991): 117-122. Also: Columbus OH: Center for Human Resource Research, The Ohio State University, 1991
Cohort(s): NLSY79
ID Number: 5
Publisher: Alan Guttmacher Institute

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Data on a cohort of young mothers from the NLSY were examined for use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana during pregnancies leading to first births. A substantial proportion of women (45 percent) were found to have used at least one of these substances. White women were more likely to use a substance during pregnancy than were Hispanic or black women; women with a prospective father present in the household were less likely than other women to use a substance. Compared with well-educated and older women, less-educated and younger women were more likely to smoke cigarettes or marijuana during pregnancy, but were less likely to drink alcohol. Only about 13 percent of women used more than one substance. Nineteen percent of the women received no prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. Less-educated and younger women were least likely to receive early prenatal care. Multivariate analysis found no association between neglect of prenatal care and substance use. Ra ther, the analysis revealed that the two behaviors shared likely antecedents, such as whether the prospective father was in the home prior to the pregnancy. Copyright: 1991 Alan Guttmacher Institute

ABMA, JOYCE C.
MOTT, FRANK L.
Substance Use and Prenatal Care During Pregnancy Among Younger Mothers: Linkages and Antecedents
Working Paper, Columbus OH, Center for Human Resource Research, The Ohio State University, February 1991
Cohort(s): NLSY79
ID Number: 6
Publisher: Center for Human Resource Research

Data on a cohort of young mothers from the NLSY were examined for use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana during pregnancies leading to first births. A substantial proportion of women (45 percent) were found to have used at least one of these substances. White women were more likely to use a substance during pregnancy than were Hispanic or black women; women with a prospective father present in the household were less likely than other women to use a substance. Compared with well-educated and older women, less-educated and younger women were more likely to smoke cigarettes or marijuana during pregnancy, but were less likely to drink alcohol. Only about 13 percent of women used more than one substance. Nineteen percent of the women received no prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. Less-educated and younger women were least likely to receive early prenatal care. Multivariate analysis found no association between neglect of prenatal care and substance use. Rather, the analysis revealed that the two behaviors shared likely antecedents, such as whether the prospective father was in the home prior to the pregnancy.

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