Research Review: Teenage pregnancy and motherhood: the contribution of support

Abstract

A B S T R AC TThis paper aims to provide a critical analysis of the role of support in teenage motherhood. Family, partner and peer support are considered and literature emanating from both the USA and UK is reviewed. In summary the research literature indicates that family support is particularly important to teenage mothers and has been found to have a positive influence on parenting behaviours and practices. However, the mother-daughter relationship is not always a straightforward one and conflict between the two can diminish some of the positive impact. The research on partner support highlights how support from fathers and/or other male partners has been linked with improved financial and psychological outcomes for teenage mothers as well as having a positive influence on parenting behaviours. There is also evidence to suggest that support from partners may become increasingly important to teenage mothers over time and can be a valuable source of socializing participation and positive feedback. While the research available on peer support is much more limited it suggests that the emotional support of peers is perceived as being important by teenage mothers. Current research findings suggest that families, partners and peers tend to provide different, but complementary, forms of support for teenage mothers which, on the whole, appear to contribute to more positive outcomes for this group.

The relationship between maternal age, communication and supportive relationships in the neonatal nursery for mothers of preterm infants

“…In particular, no research has investigated social support for adolescent mothers in the neonatal nursery context. However, social support attenuates the effects of age on outcomes for adolescent mothers (Bunting and McAuley, 2004;Letourneau et al, 2004), suggesting supportive relationships may be important for adolescent mothers of preterm infants.…”

Predictors of Parenting and Infant Outcomes for Impoverished Adolescent Parents

“…Pregnant and parenting adolescents, in particular, need support to cope with stress, engage in quality interactions with their children, and take care of their child’s needs (Letourneau, Stewart, & Barnfather, 2004) and the literature reveals that support from the adolescent mother’s own mother and the father of her baby contribute to positive outcomes for these mothers and their babies (Bunting & McAuley, 2004). However, compared to non-pregnant adolescents, pregnant adolescents frequently receive less support from peers and their families and these low levels of support appear to be stable from prenatal to postpartum stages (Devereux et al, 2009).…”

Women’s Relationships with their Own Mothers in the Early Motherhood Period

“…This research interviewed teens from low income areas and found that the pregnancy caused hardship for these young women. Both this study and the review by Bunting and McAuley (2004), however, only explored the teenage daughter -mother relationship. There was one study that partially explored mother daughter relationships but this was during the pregnancy only.…”

“…Much of the literature that specifically considers women's relationship with their own mothers in the postnatal period is focused on adolescent mothers. For instance, a review of research in this area by Bunting and McAuley (2004) found that teenage mothers identified their mothers to be both a source of support and a source of conflict. The sources of conflict were not specifically identified in the studies reviewed, but it was suggested that these related to the teenagers' struggle for autonomy and independence, disagreements about living in the same household and taking responsibility for their baby.…”

“…This was not something documented in the literature. While the literature focusses on adolescent mothers with mother daughter conflict in the postnatal period (Jacobs & Mollborn, 2014;Bunting & McAuley, 2004), the circumstances of mother daughter conflict or ambivalence between adult women is documented more in diaries and anthologies of motherhood. For instance, Chesler (1979), describes an intensely conflictual and ambivalent relationship between herself and her intrusive mother, while, Woolfe (1996) depicts the relationship between a new mother and her own mother as characterised by communication difficulties, disappointments, and the new mother's yearning for her mother's understanding.…”