Anglo-American and Mexican American Adolescent Mothers: Caregiving, Approval, and Family Functioning

Abstract

This study tested the Adolescent Family Assessment Model using a descriptive correlational design. The model describes the relationships between caregiving behaviors, peer and family approval, and the outcome variables of caregiving knowledge and family functioning. Social exchange theory and social learning theory guided the study. Modelbuilding procedures involved replicated testing with data from 64 Mexican American and 50 Anglo-American adolescent mothers, 19 years of age or younger Four instruments were used: the Infant Caregiving Inventory (alpha = .93); Smilkstein's Family APGAR (alpha = .90); the Peer Approval Instrument (alpha = .73); and the Family Approval Instrument (alpha = .83). Results forAnglo mothers indicated that caregiving 2 behavior was explained by single marital status (R = .22). Family functioning was explained by age of the first child (R2 = .11). Model results for the Mexican American mothers differed from the resultant Anglo model. Caregiving knowledge was explained 2 by past experience with child care (R = .14), whereas familyfunctioning was explained by caregiving behavior (R = .10).