Teen Mothers’ Family Support and Adult Identity in the Emerging Adulthood: Implications for Socioeconomic Attainment Later in Life

Abstract

We examined the prospective role of parental support and adult identity profiles in the transition to adulthood on teen mothers’ socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. Analyses were based on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative sample of youth followed over a decade. We used data from Waves 1, 3, and 4 (mean age = 28.6, Wave 4). Analytical sample consisted of 981 females who gave birth before age 20. Analysis included design-based regression models. Findings from adjusted regression models showed no statistically significant associations between teen mothers’ parental support and socioeconomic outcomes. While teen mothers have already achieved an important marker of adulthood, variability in adult identity profiles was observed. Teen mothers with older subjective age, regardless of their levels of psychosocial maturation, had higher socioeconomic attainment on some indicators. Findings suggest that teen mothers’ adult identity profiles differentiate their socioeconomic trajectories later in life.

Parenting experiences and outcomes among former adolescent mothers: A mixed methods study

“…Many young mothers live with their own family members, who often provide caregiving support as well as financial and emotional support [ 61 ], but given the multifactorial needs (e.g., caretaking, economic, housing) faced by a former adolescent mother, these relationships can become quite complicated. Researchers have reported the buffering effects of perceived social support from partners and the mother’s own family on parenting competency in samples of adolescent mothers [ 62 , 63 ]; this was also observed in the present study.…”