Brief report: Perceptions of positive and negative support: Do they differ for pregnant/parenting adolescents and nonpregnant, nonparenting adolescents?^☆

Abstract

This study was designed to examine perceptions of type, source, and amount of social support reported by pregnant and/or parenting (PP) and nonpregnant, nonparenting (NPNP) adolescents. Greater support generally was reported by NPNP than by PP adolescents. The groups did not differ with respect to their perceptions of types of support reported on either the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB) or the Arizona Social Support Interview Schedule (ASSIS). PP adolescents reported more support from teachers on the ASSIS than did NPNP adolescents. NPNP adolescents reported more support from best friends and sisters than did the PP group.

Immediate and Longer-Term Connections Between Support and Stress in Pregnant/Parenting and Non-Pregnant/Non-Parenting Adolescents

“…This finding is consistent with previous research that did not find differences between the two groups (Crase et al 2007). It appears that both pregnant/parenting and non-pregnant/non-parenting adolescents experience stress, but the nature of that stress may differ.…”

“…An examination of the specific support providers reveals that pregnant and parenting adolescents tended to most value the support they receive from their mothers and boyfriends/partners/spouses which is consistent with other research (Crase et al 2007;Stevenson et al 1999). This finding implies that efforts to involve parents and partners into the lives of pregnant and parenting adolescents should be beneficial.…”

“…Previous researchers have argued that more information is needed about the support differences among adolescents who are non-parenting, pregnant, or parenting (Crase et al 2007;Stevenson et al 1999). Therefore, a comparison sample of nonpregnant/non-parenting adolescents was included to better identify the unique effect of support in the pregnant/parenting adolescent.…”

Social Support, Family Functioning and Parenting Competence in Adolescent Parents

“…Social support, including the positive support of family and friends, increases parenting competence by providing encouragement and resources during the period of role-transition [5]. Research shows that adolescent mothers experience lower levels of social support from friends than their non-pregnant peers [6]. Adolescent parents may be at particular risk for experiencing low parenting competence due to lower levels of social support.…”

The Relationship Between Caseworker Assessments of Clients’ Social Networks and Child Welfare Placement Outcomes

“…Social supports are multidimensional and can provide varying levels of support to an individual (Crase, Hockaday, & Cooper McCarville, 2007). Types of relationships may influence whether social supports are positive or negative for individuals (Okabayashi, Liang, Krause, Akiyama, & Sugisawa, 2004); social networks can vary in the value and influence of their support (Korbin, 2003).…”