Carleen Thompson

Teenage childbirth is considered a contributing factor to lifelong health and social disparities for mothers; however, evidence is mostly derived from cross-sectional studies utilizing self-report surveys and is often limited to one or a few psychosocial outcomes. We compared the risk of adverse psychosocial outcomes during young adulthood, including inpatient hospitalization for mental illness (MI) or substance use disorder (SUD), and offending, among teenage mothers (< 20 years), adult mothers (≥ 20 years) and non-mothers. Data included females born in Queensland, Australia, in 1983 and 1984, followed to age 29–31 years who were registered as mothers via birth records ( N = 18,188). MI and SUD were identified from inpatient hospital records, while offending data were obtained from police and court records. Risks of adverse psychosocial outcomes in young adulthood were compared between teenage mothers, adult mothers and non-mothers using regression analyses. The lifetime prevalence of adverse psychosocial outcomes was significantly higher among teenage mothers (55.0%) than adult mothers (22.9%) and non-mothers (13.6%). Offending was the most common adverse outcome across all groups. Both adjusted analyses and propensity-scored matched analyses revealed that teenage childbirth was a significant risk factor for adverse psychosocial outcomes in young adulthood. Teenage mothers were at increased risk of inpatient hospitalizations with MI or SUD and involvement in offending compared with adult or nonmothers, even after controlling for known covariates. These findings highlight the need for holistic, continual, and integrated support for teenage mothers to improve their long-term health and social outcomes.

Issues: Alcohol‐related harm in Night‐Time Entertainment Precincts (NEP) presents significant challenges for public health, law enforcement and policymakers. While population‐wide measures are well established, less attention has been given to individual‐level interventions targeting harmful alcohol consumption and violence. This review evaluates the current evidence base on individual‐level interventions designed to reduce alcohol‐related harm in NEPs. Approach: A systematic search was conducted in March 2024 (updated search in January 2025) across ProQuest, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus and grey literature sources (Google Web and Google Scholar). Studies were included if they were peer‐reviewed, published in English and examined the effectiveness/perceived effectiveness of individual‐level interventions for alcohol‐related harm in NEPs. Key Findings: The search identified 3127 articles, with 15 meeting inclusion criteria. Studies were categorised into exclusion strategies (patron bans; n = 10) and behavioural strategies (personalised screening, brief interventions, breathalysers in licensed premises and a bystander intervention; n = 5). Outcomes included assault rates, desistance, blood alcohol levels, self‐reported number of drinks consumed and frequency of staff intervention in a bar setting. Evidence on the overall effectiveness of exclusion and behavioural interventions was difficult to assess due to different outcome measures, variability in methodologies and intervention implementation. Implications: Rigorously designed studies with consistent outcome measures are needed to strengthen the evidence base and increase confidence in the effectiveness of individual‐level interventions that target alcohol‐related harm in NEPs. Conclusion: Exclusion strategies demonstrated limited evidence supporting their long‐term effectiveness in reducing alcohol‐related harm, whereas behavioural approaches show greater promise for reducing alcohol‐related harm among high‐risk drinkers.

Most incarcerated women have histories of trauma, victimisation, poor mental health, and disadvantage, and most also have mothering roles. Their support needs differ markedly from those of incarcerated men, yet most correctional settings are designed for men. This paper sets out how we co‐created a new model of service combining a systems change focus (Transforming Corrections) with holistic, individualised support for incarcerated mothers and their children (Transforming Lives). The process drew on Ghate's approach to implementing services that meet the specific needs of families and the Design Council's Systemic Design Framework to developing social services. Input by imprisoned mothers and service stakeholders was central throughout. This paper contributes to the limited research on co‐creation within correctional settings and sets out a comprehensive transformational service delivery model for imprisoned mothers and their children that aims to break intergenerational disadvantage and support improved life outcomes.

No single conceptual framework currently captures the overall well-being of children experiencing maternal incarceration. To address this gap, we examined whether an existing, population-based child well-being framework, developed by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth’s (ARACY), is able to account for factors known to influence the well-being of children in the context of maternal incarceration. Using a meta-narrative method, our synthesis of 97 documents revealed that the domains in the ARACY framework account for the overall well-being of children experiencing maternal incarceration; contextual factors specific to these children were not well represented. These factors include those that shape what well-being looks like for children experiencing maternal incarceration, those that are common to these children but not directly related to maternal incarceration, and those directly related to maternal incarceration itself. Therefore, while population-based frameworks like ARACY’s can serve as a useful tool to improve understanding of the well-being outcomes of children experiencing maternal incarceration, such frameworks should not be used for policy and practice translation without consideration of these unique contextual factors. Failure to do so may lead to inadequate support targets and indicators that poorly measure meaningful change for this population. Based on our findings, we suggest policy and practice efforts prioritise understanding well-being from different cultural perspectives, address pre-existing disadvantage, and implement multisystemic interventions tailored to individual children’s needs. Future research should develop robust prevention and intervention strategies that account for implementation challenges while deepening the theoretical and empirical understanding of these children’s unique well-being needs.

This Special Issue pays tribute to our dear friend and mentor Anna Stewart, Emeritus Professor at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, who passed away in April of 2021. Anna was a pioneer in the construction and use of large-scale, linked administrative datasets for criminological research, especially in Australia. She recognised the potential of administrative data to help close critical knowledge gaps and promote evidence-informed government responses. Anna was also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scholars and moulding “young” minds – graduating 17 scholars with PhDs and laying the foundation for another three, as well as graduating 28 Honours and Master’s scholars. Many of the guest editors of this Special Issue were these young minds. Anna's enduring commitment to social justice drove her research, bringing together and inspiring others to form cross-disciplinary teams and use their expertise to advance more equitable outcomes across society. We are honoured to continue her work. Our goal in this Special Issue is to highlight Anna's enduring contributions. We begin with a synopsis of her research journey from her PhD through to her final works, highlighting the foundations she laid and visions she had for ongoing work in this area. We then introduce our contributors to this Special Issue, celebrating their collaborations, innovations, and new frontiers that extend beyond Anna's legacy.

This study fills existing knowledge gaps by examining the links between Child Protection System (CPS) notifications and Criminal Justice System (CJS) contacts into young adulthood, with consideration of both lifetime Mental Health (MH) system contacts and the characteristics of CPS contacts (including Out-Of-Home Care [OOHC]). We utilised state-wide longitudinal linked administrative data for all individuals registered as born in Queensland, Australia in 1990 ( N = 45,153; 48.6% female). Data include all CPS notifications (including maltreatment types) and periods of OOHC (0–17 years, inclusive), all official offending contacts from age 10 to 24 years (police cautions, proven offences in court, detention/incarceration), and MH contacts between ages 4/5 to 23/24 years. Findings extend understanding of the complexity of CPS–CJS links. While many CPS-involved individuals remain free of CJS involvement, findings elucidate especially high-risk features of child maltreatment experiences, namely adolescent and persistent maltreatment, neglect, OOHC experienced ≥10 years of age, and comorbid CPS and MH contact. Though the CPS–CJS link was especially pronounced for youth offending, increased risk for adult-onset offending was also evident. Results support cross-sector holistic care for maltreated individuals, trauma-informed responses within detention and correctional practices, and increased intervention and support for adolescents in OOHC. These results provide a reminder that intervention should occur early in a problematic pathway, and not simply early in a life course.

Objective: The goal was to explore service providers' perspectives on coordinating support for children experiencing maternal incarceration in Australia. Background: Children with incarcerated mothers face significant challenges in accessing support services. Existing research lacks comprehensive insights into service providers' understanding of systemic barriers and potential solutions. Method: We conducted focus groups with 21 service providers experienced in supporting children affected by maternal incarceration. A reflexive and iterative thematic analysis approach was used, employing inductive and deductive coding methods to analyze focus group transcripts. Results: Analysis revealed that existing services play a role in supporting children experiencing maternal incarceration, but barriers exist due to insufficient information sharing and system fragmentation. Service providers identified the need for a “system navigator” to help families navigate the complex support landscape. Conclusion: The current support system for children experiencing maternal incarceration is fragmented and lacks effective coordination mechanisms. Implications: This study proposes a system navigation model to provide a more coordinated approach to supporting these children, with potential applications for policymakers and practitioners.

The role that stressful life events (SLEs) play in the etiology of teenage pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB), has been increasingly acknowledged in the literature. However, studies in this area have revealed inconsistent findings, and existing research syntheses have not examined the temporal relationship between major SLEs (i.e., childhood maltreatment, intimate partner violence [IPV], severe mental illness [SMI], and incarceration), and common negative pregnancy outcomes. To address these limitations, five literature databases (PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL) were searched for longitudinal studies examining the impact of the aforementioned SLEs on teenage pregnancy or PTB. We identified 1,540 articles; 46 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in meta-analyses. Quality assessment of included studies was conducted. Pooled odd ratios (ORs) were calculated using random effects models, and subgroup analyses were performed to investigate the moderating effects of predefined study characteristics on the effect sizes. Statistical analyses were performed in R . Experiencing any of the SLEs explored in this meta-analysis increased the risk of teenage pregnancy (pooled ORs = 1.76; 95% CI [1.56, 1.98]). While there was no significant association between childhood maltreatment and PTB, women who had experienced any form of IPV, been diagnosed with a SMI before or during pregnancy, or been incarcerated during pregnancy, had an elevated risk of having a PTB. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of screening for SLEs across the lifespan and delivering tailored integrated responses to improve birth outcomes.