Outcomes and Parent-Child Relationships of Former Adolescent Mothers and Their 12-Year-Old Children

Abstract

This study compared former adolescent mothers and their 12-year-old children with adult child-bearing mothers and their children along three dimensions: mothers' life-course characteristics (e.g., educational attainment, employment status, current annual family income); children's scholastic, psychological, social, and behavioral adjustment; and dimensions of the parent-child relationship (e.g., companionship, affection, intimacy). Results showed that adolescent mothers had significantly lower levels of completed education than adult mothers, and children of teenage mothers exhibited more learning problems (as rated by self, mother, and teacher) than children of adult mothers. Younger childbearing mothers and fathers felt they provided less esteem enhancement support to their children than older childbearing parents. In addition, early childbearing mothers felt less satisfied with their mother-child relationships, and early childbearing fathers shared fewer companionate activities with their children than adult childbearing mothers and fathers, respectively. The long-term implications of adolescent parenting for the adolescent and her child are discussed.