Adolescent pregnancy and substance use

The health risk behaviors of adolescent substance use and adolescent pregna ncy and childbearing seem to be linked. Young women who become pregnant bef ore completion of high school represent a group of young people who may be at higher risk than the general population for substance use, at least ciga rettes, alcohol, and marijuana. Yet, most pregnant and parenting teenagers are not substance users. In this article, we review the literature on adole scent substance use, on adolescent pregnancy and childbearing and specifica lly, on substance use among pregnant and parenting adolescents.