Building Success in Low-Income Teen Mothers

New York University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Teen parents, struggling with their own developmental issues, often have difficulty forming supportive, nurturing relationships with their young children. Teen mothers display higher levels of parenting stress, are less responsive and sensitive in their interactions with their children, and provide less stimulation for their infants than older mothers. Alleviating parenting stress by providing nurturing social support, increasing knowledge of child development, enhancing maternal self-esteem and effectiveness can support the teen mother's successful parenting of her infant. The purpose of this 3-year study is to test the effects of a relational/developmental and mentoring intervention based on the Touchpoints model developed by T. B. Brazelton, MD, and his colleagues on the parenting efforts of low-income teen mothers. The specific aims are to refine a relational/developmental mentoring intervention as an approach to the traditional well-child examination and to examine the effects of this approach on maternal outcomes of self-esteem, social support, depression, parenting sense of competence, maternal-child interaction; and child outcomes of appropriate child development compared to standard well-child exams. The relational/developmental intervention will be delivered at the 4 month (baseline), 6 month, and 9 month well-child exam. Teen mothers will also participate in bimonthly mentoring groups. Data will be collected at 4 months of age (baseline), 6 month, and the 9 month well child visit. A sample of 52 low-income, teen mothers will be recruited from two high school teen parenting programs to determine the effects of the intervention. Data will be analyzed using a Multiple Analysis of Covariance, and Analysis of Covariance. Information from the study will lead to interventions that may be used by advanced practice nurses in the context of a well child exam. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]