NCJ Number
218645
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 567-581
Date Published
May 2007
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationships among ethnic identity, behavior problems, self-esteem, and social support among an ethnically diverse sample of pregnant and parenting adolescents and their infants.
Abstract
Results indicated that pregnant and parenting adolescent females experienced nonclinical levels of behavior problems. High levels of social support mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and internalizing behavior problems and mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and self-esteem. Other findings revealed that parents rated their infants as experiencing clinically significant levels of difficulties. Adolescent parents experience of behavior problems and self-esteem was significantly related to their infants’ difficulties, yet none of the variables under examination significantly predicted parenting stress. The findings suggest that interventions addressing social support may help improve the functioning of pregnant and parenting adolescents and their infants. Future research should explore other mechanisms that promote or reduce parenting stress for adolescent mothers. Participants were 166 ethnically diverse pregnant or parenting female adolescents recruited from community agencies that provide services for pregnant and parenting adolescents. The majority of participants were African-American and Hispanic-American. Participants completed a series of questionnaires that collected information about demographic characteristics, ethnic identity, self-esteem, perceived social support, infant functioning, and parenting stress. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a series of Between Subjects Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Tables, references