Identify the risk factors & protective factors for the child based on the couple's demographics.

Hypothetical Couple

Charlotte & Chandler are expecting their first child in 2 months. They have been told they are having a boy. They live in a rural part of Mississippi. They have been together as a couple for a little over a year.They are not married, and both are not sure whether they would like to be in the future. They live together in a small, one-bedroom house that belongs to Chandler's parents. Charlotte is 21 years-old and is a student at the local community college. She had a full-time job at a retail store that she has recently quit. She is considered a good student, usually making As and Bs. Chandler is 22 years-old and dropped out from high school. He has no plans to earn his GED and he works odd jobs within the construction field. Neither have health insurance, but Charlotte signed up for Medicaid benefits when she found out she was pregnant. Now on Medicaid, she routinely sees her OB/GYN.

Both Charlotte and Chandler are close to their own parents. They both come from permissive parenting households. Although their parents are emotionally supportive to them, they don't give them a lot of guidance about how to handle things in life or how to deal with their situation as a couple. Charlotte is expecting her parents to be very involved in raising their baby, although her parents both work and have limited funds. Chandler expects his parents to help them financially although his parents too are within the middle-class bracket.

Charlotte and Chandler have been arguing a lot over money and social expectations. He tries to take on extra jobs to earn more money. Charlotte doesn't like him taking on extra jobs because it takes away the time they can spend together. Charlotte wants Chandler to stay home with her more. Chandler wants to continue hanging out with his friends. He spends more time away from the house to get away from the negativity he feels when he is around Charlotte. This leads Charlotte feeling even lonelier. She reacts by fighting with Chandler when he is home which makes him feel more detached from the entire situation. The stress is causing complications with Charlotte's pregnancy. Although Charlotte wants to stop, she has continued to smoke cigarettes throughout the pregnancy. She also has fears about gaining too much weight. She often skips meals and eats snacks throughout the day including chips, crackers, and cheese. She also states the only drink she can keep down is Mountain Dew. She has stopped taking her prenatal vitamins since they make her feel even more nauseated. Her doctor has informed her that she needs to take care of herself better by getting rest, eating well, and watching her blood pressure. The doctor is unaware that she is still smoking. He has been concerned that Charlotte has not gained weight throughout the pregnancy like she is expected to. She in turn is hoping that the baby will be born early so that she won't have to go through the last month that everyone tells her is very difficult.

Both Charlotte and Chandler are not prepared for when the baby comes home. Both are the youngest in their own families and have very limited experience with newborns and babies in general. Neither has taken a child preparation class or read any books about parenting. They both think they will "wing" it, but are really depending on their own mothers to guide them. When asked about daycare or anything with regards to the future, neither of them has actually made any realistic plans.