Correlates of grandmother childcare support to adolescent mothers: Implications for development in two generations of women

https://doi.org/10.1016/0190-7409(93)90021-ZGet rights and content

Abstract

This study examined the following 3 aspects of childcare support provided by grandmothers to 20 African-American adolescent mothers: 1) correlates of grandmother support, 2) correlates of grandmother satisfaction, and 3) associations between grandmother support and teen adaptation to parenthood. Grandmother support was associated with the mother's age and support from the baby's father; it was not related to factors in the grandmother's life or to the quality of the teen mother/grandmother relationship. Grandmother satisfaction was linked to the grandmother having fewer preschool children and to the grandmother receiving support from either welfare or from a partner. The amount of grandmother support was negatively related to the number of hours the teen worked, her self esteem and the number of hours of prenatal care she received. The implications of these results for future research and interventions that address both adolescent mother and grandmother development are discussed.

References (36)

  • G.C. Armsden et al.

    The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological wellbeing in adolescence

    Journal of Youth and Adolescence

    (1987)
  • M. Barrera

    A method for the assessment of social support networks in community research

    Connections

    (1980)
  • M. Barrera

    Social support in the adjustment of pregnant adolescents: Assessment issues

  • M. Barrera et al.

    Informant corroboration of social support network data

    Connections

    (1985)
  • R.P. Barth et al.

    Psychological correlates of teenage motherhood

    Journal of Youth and Adolescence

    (1983)
  • R. Benn et al.

    The effects of grandmother support on teen parenting and infant attachment patterns within the family

    Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Kansas City, MO

    (1989)
  • L. Burton

    Intergenerational patterns which influence the nurturing domain: Infants, parents and grandparents

    Paper presented at Seventh Biennial National Training Institute of the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs, Washington, DC

    (1992)
  • E.A. Carlson

    Individual differences in quality of representational organization of attachment of high risk adolescent mothers

    (1989)
  • P.L. Chase-Lansdale et al.

    Research and programs for adolescent mothers: Missing links and future promises

    American Behavioral Scientist

    (1992)
  • M.M. Cochran et al.

    Child development and personal social networks

    Child Development

    (1979)
  • R. Crandall

    The measurement of self-esteem and related constructs

  • S.B. Crockenberg

    Infant irritability, mother responsiveness, and social support influences on the security of infant-mother attachment

    Child Development

    (1981)
  • S.B. Crockenberg

    Predictors and correlates of anger toward and punitive control of toddlers by adolescent mothers

    Child Development

    (1987)
  • S.B. Crockenberg

    Support for adolescent mothers during the postnatal period: Theory and research

  • S.K. Danziger et al.

    Absent does not equal uninvolved: Predictors of fathering in teenage mother families

    Journal of Marriage and the Family

    (1990)
  • F.F. Furstenberg et al.

    Adolescent mothers in later life

    (1987)
  • F.F. Furstenberg et al.

    Family support: Helping teenage mothers to cope

    Family Planning Perspectives

    (1978)
  • C.T. Garcia Coll et al.

    The social ecology and early parenting of Caucasian adolescent mothers

    Child Development

    (1987)
  • Cited by (19)

    • Programmatic effects to modify sources of financial support among Hispanic teenage mothers

      2014, Children and Youth Services Review
      Citation Excerpt :

      Improved relationships with family members may also facilitate the establishment of respite services (e.g., support through caregiving, breaks to run errands), which allows the teenage mother to cope with the stresses of parenthood and spend time developing their own skills and ambitions for future success. Additional support from a mentor (Rowen, Shaw-Perry, & Rager, 2005) or family member, such as a grandmother, is considered greater if the person providing support does not feel pressure associated with service and care giving overload (Voran & Phillips, 1993). Adolescent mothers' ability to avoid poverty and improve their socioeconomic circumstances may be a proxy for facilitating greater income to achieve family stability (Dehlendorf, Marchi, Vittinghoff, & Braveman, 2010) and a safer and more nurturing home environment (Sullivan et al., 2011).

    • Growing up fast: Re-visioning adolescent mothers' transitions to young adulthood

      2014, Growing up Fast: Re-Visioning Adolescent Mothers' Transitions to Young Adulthood
    • State feminism, women's movements, and job training: Making democracies work in the global economy

      2013, State Feminism, Women's Movements, and Job Training: Making Democracies Work in the Global Economy
    View all citing articles on Scopus

    The authors are deeply appreciative of the help of Alicia Lugo and Algretta Pilgrim, Teensight, in contacting participants for this study.

    View full text