Triadic interaction of adolescent mothers, fathers, and infants: An exploratory study

Abstract

This paper explores triadic interaction in a sample of adolescent mothers, their partners, and their infants (19 families). We collected data during an extensive, semistructured interview one month after the infant's birth, and observed the triadic interaction during a play situation four months postpartum, using the Lausanne Trilogue Play paradigm (LTP, 1999). In the play situations, 14 out of 19 families showed dysfunctional family alliances. High maternal maturity in resolving developmental tasks specific for the period of adolescence predicted higher levels of family alliances. We found that having parental role models was positively associated with functional family alliances. The high proportion of dysfunctional family alliances in this exploratory study sample may accentuate the need for further research on resources of both fathers and mothers that foster positive family functioning.