NCJ Number
212368
Journal
Violence Against Women: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal Volume: 11 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2005 Pages: 1490-1514
Date Published
December 2005
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study explored urban adolescent mothers’ experiences with multiple forms of violence and resilience within the context of welfare reforms.
Abstract
Over the past 15 years, the reproductive behavior of women under the age of 20, particularly poor women of color has been cast as one of the main contributors to society’s social and economic problems. Research has also suggested that adolescent mothers living in urban centers are exposed to high rates of violence within their homes and communities. The current study explores the myriad forms of violence urban adolescent mothers’ face and their resilience to it using a risk and resilience approach within a multicultural feminist framework. The author conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of 10 urban adolescent mothers between the ages of 16 and 20 years who resided in Chicago. Participants discussed their experiences with community violence, family violence, and partner violence, as well as how they responded to the violence. Protective factors emerged in their stories and included problem-solving abilities, goal orientation and motivation to succeed, interpersonal intelligence, independence, and action orientation. The implications for welfare policy are discussed and include the observation that mandating adolescent mothers to live at home may be unrealistic and potentially harmful given the levels of violence these women are exposed to in their homes and communities. References