Psychosocial Attributes and Life Experiences of Disadvantaged Minority Mothers: Age and Ethnic Variations

Abstract

This study examined age and ethnic differences in psychosocial factors among hispanic (n = 210) and black (n = 73) low-income mothers within 2 days after delivery. The sample included 45 black and 99 hispanic adolescents (less than 19 years) and 139 adult controls (greater than or equal to 20 years) giving birth on the service ward at a large metropolitan hospital, excluding mothers and infants with high parity or adverse perinatal conditions. Multivariate and univariate analyses, with parity covaried, revealed age effects including earlier menarche, more school grade retention, and more perceived social support among teens. No age differences were found in child-rearing attitudes, self-esteem, or depressive symptoms. Black mothers reported more social support, higher self-esteem, and less strict child-rearing attitudes than hispanics. Analyses within the hispanic sample revealed Dominican/Puerto Rican group differences in measures of family structure and child-rearing attitudes, but only small differences in social support. Ethnocultural differences between blacks and hispanics and between the two hispanic subgroups are considered in relation to the process of acculturation.