Social support and parenting cognitions in adolescent mothers.
Item
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Title
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Social support and parenting cognitions in adolescent mothers.
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Identifier
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AAI3024832
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identifier
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3024832
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Creator
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Sanders, Shoshanna.
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Contributor
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Advisers: Marian Fish | Helen Johnson
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Date
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2001
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Education, Educational Psychology | Social Work | Sociology, Individual and Family Studies
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Abstract
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The purpose of this study is to explore the contribution of the adolescent mothers' support system to her parenting cognitions. Fifty-nine low-income, urban, ethnic minority adolescent mothers were interviewed using the Inventory of Social Contacts (Richardson, 1984) and the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory (Bavolek, 1984). In addition, behavior rating scales were submitted by school staff to measure students' psychosocial adjustment. All participants were enrolled in a comprehensive social services program at their schools including on-site day care for their babies and counseling from a social worker. The study found a link between overall family interference and inappropriate or maladaptive parenting cognitions. Support and interference from other network sectors were not found to be related to parenting cognitions. Analyses of the interviews indicate that professionals and friends provided more childcare and emotional support than family and partners did, while family and partners provided more material support. Family and partners were also more likely to create stress in the areas of childrearing and emotional stress. Comparisons of Hispanic and African-American respondents revealed no differences on the parenting cognitions measure. Hispanic participants reported having smaller support networks and less support from peers. For African-Americans, support from family tended to coincide with family interference. Limitations of the study are discussed including psychometric problems with the parenting cognitions measure and the under-representation of teenage mothers with low levels of professional support. Implications for school psychologists include the identification of at-risk teenage mothers and the importance of interventions to reduce family interference and to encourage extra-family support.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
