Characteristics Of Adolescent Mothers Research Articles

Sociodemographic and gestational characteristics of adolescent mothers

Introduction: The teenage pregnancy has been considered a worldwide health problem for more than four decades due to the biological, psychological, economical, educational and familial consequences. The study aims to analyze the epidemiological profile of teenage pregnancy in a northeastern Brazilian capital. Outline: It is a descriptive, retrospective study, with quantitative approach, performed with secondary data from Department of Informatics of SUS (DATASUS), in the years from 2013 to 2017. Results: A higher record of pregnancy among the teenagers was observed in the age range of 15 to 19 years, with 8 to 11 years of schooling and married. There was a reduction in the number of pregnancies, but with fluctuations between 2013 and 2014. The obstetric-gestational profile revealed that most of the teenagers had attended seven or more prenatal care appointments, had single pregnancy and vaginal delivery. Most of the newborns had adequate weight at birth and low frequency of prematurity, asphyxia at birth (Apgar at 1st and 5th minute between 8 and 10) and of congenital anomalies. Implications: The study enabled the gestational situation of the teenagers to be recognized, contributing to the health care strategies, prevention of teenage pregnancy and mother-baby adequate assistance.

Positive Negative Affect and Teen Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the important events in a woman’s life. Having a positive and planned pregnancy will impact the psychological well-being of both mother and baby. This study describes the relationship between the affect and demographics of pregnant adolescents. Respondents consisted of 92 pregnant adolescents (19.6% trimester 1, 41.3% trimester 2 and 39.1% trimester 3), with an age range of 16 to 35 years (M = 18.99, SD = 2.899). Pregnant adolescents were asked to fill in the positive and negative influence scale (PANAS). The correlation coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha for the positive influence scale is 0.845. The correlation coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha for the negative influence scale is 0.676. Researchers used Chi-Square to determine the relationship between positive and negative influences with the demographic characteristics of adolescent mothers. The results of the description of the Positive affect were related to age (Asymp. Sig. = 0.000) and gestational age (Asymp. Sig. = 0.009). In contrast, the Negative affect was related to adolescent education (Asymp. Sig. = 0.013). These results underlie the process of adaptation of adolescent mothers in undergoing a healthy and planned pregnancy.

Traumatic Childhood Experiences and Psychiatric Outcomes of Adolescent Mothers in Turkey

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to define the sociodemographic characteristics of adolescent mothers in Turkey as well as to compare their traumatic childhood experiences and their depression and anxiety levels with those of adult mothers. Sixty-eight mothers participated in this cross-sectional study. The frequency of traumatic childhood experiences and the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms among the adolescent mothers were found to be significantly lower than among the adult mothers, except for emotional neglect. The severity of anxiety symptoms was found to be significantly higher in those adolescent mothers who did not intend to become pregnant and who live with their own family or in institutional care than in those who live with their partner and/or his family. This is the first study to evaluate the traumatic childhood experiences of adolescent mothers in Turkey. Further, this cross-sectional study demonstrates that the initial psychiatric assessment of adolescent mothers who intended to become pregnant might reflect their level of psychiatric wellbeing. It is clear that additional policies concerning the prevention of adolescent pregnancy and the follow-up of adolescent mothers need to be developed in Turkey.

Being an Adolescent Mother

Background and aim: This survey study aimed to determine demographic characteristics of adolescent mothers and find out factors effecting adolescent marriages by performing a questionnaire to adolescent mothers. Method: After obtaining the approval of the Ethics Committee of Dicle University, this survey study was performed between March 1, 2012 and August 31, 2012 for a period of 6-month in Diyarbakir Maternity Hospital during the study period. Results: In this study, results of a survey performed to 71 mothers who gave their first birth under 19 year of age were evaluated. Conclusion: Since adolescent girls involved in adolescent marriages are mostly biopsychosocially immature and poorly educated individuals they are tend to suffer early-age unhealthy pregnancies and consequently high rate of miscarriage and other pregnancy associated complications.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Teen Motherhood in Canada

The study aims to examine the prevalence and characteristics of adolescent mothers throughout the provinces of Canada. The analysis was based on the Maternity Experience Survey targeting women aged ≥15 years who had singleton live births during 2005/2006 in the Canadian provinces and territories. The main dependent variable in this study was the mother's age at the time of delivery divided into teen mothers (<20 years) and average-aged mothers (≥20 and <35 years). Socio-economic factors, demographic factors and pregnancy related factors were considered for a logistic regression analysis comparing teen mothers to average-aged mothers. Bootstrapping was performed to account for the complex sampling design. The sample size was 6,188 weighted to represent 76,110 Canadian women. The proportion of teen mothers in the MES study was 2.9%, and their average age was 18.1 years (SD = 1.1). As compared to average-aged mothers, teen mothers were more likely to have low socio-economic status, be non-immigrants, have no partner, reside in the Western Prairies, have previously experienced physical or sexual abuse and have preferred to have had their pregnancies later into their adulthood. Despite the above, teen mothers were more likely to attend prenatal classes than average-aged mothers (Odds ratio = 2.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.74-3.71). Intervention studies should aim to raise awareness among teens to prevent teen pregnancies. Since teen mothers are very likely to attend prenatal courses, the focus of these classes should be tailored to the needs of teen mothers. More in depth qualitative studies should aim to understand their individual needs.

Adolescent Mothers and Their Children

This study examines stability and change in characteristics of adolescent mothers from their child's infancy to school age, describes cognitive and behavioral characteristics of their children at school age, and reports on the relationship between maternal characteristics and child behavior and development at school age. Cognitive status and childrearing attitudes were assessed in 43 adolescent mothers (mean age 16.3 years) when their children were infants (Time 1) and again when children were school age (Time 2). At school age, mothers also completed the Louisville Behavior Checklist, and children were administered the Slosson Intelligence Test and the Wide Range Achievement Test. Significant correlations were obtained between maternal measures at Time 1 and Time 2, and no significant differences were observed between mean scores at Time 1 and Time 2 on any measures. Children demonstrated average intelligence, but mean achievement was almost 1 SD below average. Significantly more children had high scores than expected on scales for hyperactivity and academic disability. Except for maternal vocabulary, maternal measures obtained at Time 1 were not directly related to children's IQ or behavior problems. Maternal vocabulary and authoritarian and hostile childrearing attitudes assessed at Time 1 contributed independently to prediction of achievement test scores in a positive direction. Mothers' vocabulary at Time 2 and high or increased hostile childrearing attitudes contributed positively to prediction of child IQ. Mothers who still had high scores in authoritarian childrearing attitudes or whose scores increased had children with lower IQs. Changes in attitudes or contemporary measures of attitudes were also related to behavior problems at school age.

Maternal characteristics of adolescent mothers and older mothers of infants.

Cognitive status and childrearing attitudes of adolescent mothers were compared with those of older women from the same socioeconomic status when their children were infants. The 106 adolescent mothers were significantly lower than the 47 older women on measures of cognitive status but significantly higher in authoritarian attitudes.

Understanding Adolescent Parenting: The Dimensions and Functions of Social Support

Although recent research has focused on the unique characteristics of adolescent mothers and their children, critical questions remain concerning the conceptualization and measurement of social support and its effects on adolescent parenting and child development. In this article, various perspectives on the meaning and measurement of social supports available for adolescent mothers are summarized, with particular attention devoted to types, sources, and amounts of support, and the ways in which these dimensions differ for teen and adult mothers. A model of adolescent parenting is presented, emphasizing the multiple influences that social support has on maternal personality, health and nutritional status, and cognitive readiness for parenting, as well as on actual parenting behavior and child development.

The Consequences of Adolescent Childbearing on Postnatal Development

The literature dealing with the effects of adolescent childbearing on postnatal infant development is critically reviewed in this paper. The data concerning intellectual development, mental retardation, physical, motor, and neurological development, academic achievement, and social and emotional development as a functuon of maternal age are presented. It is concluded that the existing data on the developmental sequelae of adolescent childbearing lends only minimal support to the hypothesis that maternal immaturity places the newborn infant at increased developmental risk. Nevertheless, because of the socioeconomic characteristics of adolescent mothers, the outlook for infants of such mothers is dismal primarily because of postnatal environmental factors. Some suggestions for future research in this area are offered.

Social-psychological characteristics of adolescent mothers and behavioral characteristics of their first-born infants

This study examined the child-rearing attitudes perceptions of infant temperament and mother-infant interactional behaviour of primiparous adolescent mothers in comparison to mothers having their first infant post-adolescence as well as the newborn behaviour of the infants born to these women. The total number of mother-infant pairs in the study was 317. Measures were taken of maternal attitudes maternal perceptions of infant temperament and behavioural characteristics of the infant. An observational system was also used. The lack of differences between adolescent and post-adolescent mothers was attributed to the prescence of a comprehensive prenatal care program. (authors)