Poverty, Homelessness, Teen Pregnancy, and Mental Illness

Abortion

Medical termination of pregnancy before the fetus can live independently outside the womb

Abortion services

Medical procedures and support for terminating a pregnancy

Adoption

Legal process of transferring parental rights and responsibilities from birth parents to adoptive parents

Any mental illness

Persons having any mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder in the past year that meet DSM-5 criteria

Birth control

Methods to prevent pregnancy through hormonal, barrier, or surgical means

Chronic homelessness

Usually older individuals who are chronically unemployed, have some type of disability or substance abuse problem, and use emergency shelter system as a long-term housing solution

Coercive sex

Sexual activity that occurs without consent

Community mental health centers

Facility providing mental health services and support for individuals in the community

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services

Crisis poverty

Situation where individuals or families experience sudden financial hardship

Cultural attitudes

Beliefs and perspectives that a society values

Deinstitutionalization

Process of discharging individuals with mental illness from institutional care into community-based settings

Dual protection

Combines two methods of contraception to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies and STIs

Federal Poverty Guidelines

Used to determine if a person or family is financially eligible for assistance or services for certain programs and benefits

Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)

Birth control that provides effective prevention of pregnancy for an extended period without requiring user action

Low birth weight

Infants born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces

Mental health

Being able to engage in productive activities and to have fulfilling relationships with other people, adapt to change, and cope with adversity

Mental illness

All diagnosable mental disorders

Multigenerational poverty

Cycle of poverty that persists across generations

Neighborhood poverty

Geographically defined areas of high poverty

Noncustodial parents

Parents who do not have physical custody of children but share some form of legal responsibility

Paternity

Legal acknowledgment of fatherhood

Peer pressure

Influence from peers to adopt behaviors, attitudes, or values

Persistent poverty

Individuals and families who remain poor for long periods and who pass poverty on to their descendants

Poverty

State of being extremely poor, lacking sufficient financial resources to meet basic needs

Prematurity

Birth that occurs before 37 weeks of gestation

Serious mental illness (SMI)

Having (within the last year) a diagnosable mental, behavior, or emotional disorder that causes serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities

Sexual debut

First experience with intercourse

Sexual victimization

Experience of sexual assault or coercion

Statutory rape

Engaging in sexual activity with a person below the legal age of consent

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income individuals and families in the U.S.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)

Federal assistance program providing financial aid to low-income families with children

Toxic stress

Prolonged activation of the body's stress response system due to adverse experiences