Time Use of Teen Mothers

Abstract

Although programs exist to support teen parents, little is known about the daily life patterns of teen mothers. This study used a mixed methods approach to examine teen mothers' time allocations and occupational choices. The researchers interviewed and collected experiential time samples from nine teen mothers during a 3-week period. The teen mothers were their children's primary caregivers, had ages ranging from 14 to 20 years, and lived in a rural community. Findings indicated that the teens spent the majority of their time engaged in instrumental activities of daily living that involved caring for their children because of feelings of obligation, performed most of their occupations at home, and spent more time engaged in passive than active leisure occupations. This study has implications for occupational therapy related to teen parenting programs.

Time Use of Mothers of Children With an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparative Study

“…It is a challenging matter but again a serious affair in promoting health. If it has been defined as a balance between daily activities and balance among activities, it can improve health and welfare [28,29]. Occupational balance is an individual issue, and it talks of the way by which an individual can align their daily activities in order and earmark a specific amount of time for self-care, productivity and leisure times with satisfaction [11,29,30].…”

The "good" mother: experiences of Canadian adolescent mothers living in rural communities

“…Specifically, the families of adolescent mothers heightened the image of the good mother both by helping them provide necessities that they could not otherwise afford and through this supported their presentation of self. Whereas most existing literature focuses on the negative outcomes suffered by the entire family unit, such as increased stress for the infant's maternal grandmother and increased promiscuity for sisters of the adolescent mother (Beers & Hollo, 2009;DeLany & Jones, 2009;DeVito, 2010;Riesch, Anderson, Pridham, Lutz, & Becker, 2010), this study suggests that there are also positive factors in parental involvement. For example, the informal support provided by the participants' families was perhaps the most important factor in strengthening their ability to present as a good mother.…”

“…When compared to adult-aged mothers, Canadian adolescent mothers are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status, lower education, and experience more stressful life events during pregnancy and early parenthood (Al-Sahab et al, 2012;PHAC, 2009). Infants born to adolescent mothers are also at an increased risk of prematurity, low birth weight, delayed development, and lower cognitive abilities (DeLany & Jones, 2009;Letourneau et al, 2004). Adolescent mothers and their infants have been found to be inherently at risk for suboptimal health outcomes making adolescent motherhood a public health concern, as the literature suggests negative life outcomes (Al-Sahab et al, 2012;PHAC, 2009).…”

“…Another study associated familial factors, such as poverty, family patterns of early sexual activity, and substance abuse with adolescents becoming pregnant (DeLany & Jones, 2009). However, many of the studies reviewed by Beers and Hollo did not take these factors into consideration in control groups, which may have biased their results.…”

The role of digital technology in teen mothers’ and their children’s literacy

“…One pattern in the research on reading is the strong association of reading for pleasure with reading achievement and engaging in reading throughout the lifespan (Greaney & Hegarty, 1987; Murphy, 2013). Yet, time for pleasurable pursuits is often a function of leisure time, and leisure time is scarce in the lives of teen mothers (DeLany & Jones, 2009) who cope with demands such as learning about parenting, completing their own school studies, and the general complexities of their lives given their circumstances. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that teen mothers themselves do not spend a great deal of time reading for pleasure (Burgess, 2005), a pattern which may also influence the affective relationship these mothers and their children have towards literacy.…”