Abstract
Adolescent motherhood is now common but little is known about its consequences. To study this, 139 primiparous women divided by age (≤ 15 yrs.; 16 - 17 yrs.; 18 - 19 yrs.;≥ 20 yrs.) were compared for: adaptivity of prenatal childrearing attitudes using Cohler's Maternal Attitude Scale; postnatal behavior with their infants by direct observation; perception of their infants' temperaments using Carey's Survey of Infant Characteristics. Older mothers had more adaptive attitudes on each of the five Cohler subscales. Significant differences were found in subscales for maternal attitude toward encouragement versus discouragement of reciprocity (p = .001), appropriate versus inappropriate closeness (p = .01), and acceptance versus denial of emotional complexity in child-care (p = .05). Postnatally, the amount of time mothers looked at and spoke to their children during interaction was measured at 1, 3, 6, 12 & 18 months; older mothers vocalized to their infants more at 3 (p = .02) and 6 months (p = .04). Carey's scale given at 1, 3, & 6 months revealed that older mothers viewed their children as having easier temperaments at 6 months (p = .04). These findings emphasize the need for educational and supportive services for adolescent mothers.
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Greene, J., Sandier, H., Altemeier, W. et al. 16 CHILD REARING ATTITUDES, OBSERVED BEHAVIOR, AND PERCEPTION OF INFANT TEMPERAMENT IN ADOLESCENT VERSUS OLDER MOTHERS. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 442 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00025
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