Longitudinal Patterns of School Disengagement before Conception among New York City Teen Mothers

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND School‐based pregnancy prevention programs should optimally be offered while students are still engaged in school since early disengagement is strongly associated with risk of a teen birth. METHODS We used linked New York City birth and enrollment data (2005–2013), a sample of 6,809 teen mothers (mean age conception = 16.2 years). We measured preconception disengagement using monthly absences, age 12 until conception, and identified five attendance trajectories using group‐based trajectory modeling. RESULTS We identified five attendance trajectories that were heterogeneous with respect to age of onset and rate of increase of absenteeism. In two groups, 80% were chronically absent (CA) [2–