Perceptions of teen motherhood in Australian adolescent females: life-line or lifederailment

Transformation, disruption or cumulative disadvantage? Labor market and education trajectories of young mothers in Australia

Young motherhood is often framed as detrimental to the life chances of young women with research showing negative impacts on education and labor market outcomes. At the same time, qualitative research reports narratives of motherhood as a transformative experience, providing motivation for a fresh start and moving young women away from previously unstable life pathways. These scenarios appear contradictory, however outcomes might vary for different groups of women depending on their pre-birth trajectories. We investigate the effects of early parenthood using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. We employ a sequence based approach to compare labor market- and educational precarity of young mothers and non-parenting peers. We employ a novel sequence matching technique creating a comparison group of non-parenting young women, based on similarities in early labor market trajectories. We find that young mothers have higher levels of precarity in their pre-birth trajectories. Moreover, our results show that becoming a young mother is connected to an average increase in labor market and educational precarity post birth, which supports the hypothesis of cumulative disadvantage. However, only mothers with the least precarious trajectories prior to birth experience this development, whereas young women already on highly precarious paths see a decrease in precarity over time. Although our results do not support cumulative disadvantage for the most disadvantaged women, neither does it support the idea of parenthood as a transformative event. Our results point to the importance of understanding heterogeneity in the outcomes of young mothers.

Iranian mothers' experiences of the outcomes of early motherhood: A qualitative study

Early motherhood is a major health challenge in most developing countries. The aim of this study was to explore Iranian mothers' experiences of the outcomes of early motherhood. This qualitative study was done using the conventional inductive content analysis approach. A purposive sample of 18 Iranian mothers, with the experience of early motherhood, was recruited with maximum variation in terms of their age at their first pregnancy, their children's age, place of residence, and financial status. Data collection was done via in-depth semistructured interviews and continued up to data saturation. The MAXQDA software (v. 10.0) was employed for handling the data. Iranian mothers' experiences of the outcomes of early motherhood came into two main categories that were named "realization of the childhood dream of adulthood" and "heavy burden of adulthood on the small shoulders of childhood," The four subcategories of the first category were the acceleration of intellectual and mental maturation, strengthening of family relationships, developing a strong identity, and closer companionship with the child. The second main category also included four subcategories, namely, experiencing numerous difficulties, threats to mothers' physical and mental health, threats to children's health, and missing opportunities. Early motherhood is not merely a negative experience; rather it is also associated with different positive outcomes. Healthcare providers need to provide high-quality prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal care services to adolescent mothers and use available opportunities to strongly support them and their children.

Analysing the experience of motherhood among adolescents living with HIV

Aim

Adolescent motherhood is considered a condition of vulnerability that can be further complicated by the presence of HIV infection, but little is known about how adolescent mothers experience this process. The aim of this study was to analyse the experience of motherhood among adolescents living with HIV.

Method

Seven mothers (15-21 years) recruited in specialized services in Porto Alegre/Brazil, whose babies’ ages ranged from four to six months, were interviewed. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim.

Results

The qualitative content analysis of the interviews revealed a positive vision of motherhood, related to satisfaction with the maternal role and personal fulfilment. Pregnancy and motherhood served to these adolescents as an encouragement for self-care. The mothers’ difficulties were related to HIV and to the repercussions of this clinical condition, especially feelings of frustration and incompleteness of motherhood on the impossibility of breastfeeding, as well as fear facing the risk of MTCT.

Conclusion

Future research of longitudinal design and with larger samples will be important to extend the knowledge of the specificities of this experience over time for young people of different ages and social backgrounds.

Induced abortions and birth outcomes of women with a history of severe psychosocial problems in adolescence

OBJECTIVE

To increase knowledge on the reproductive health of women who have been placed in a residential school, a child welfare facility for adolescents with severe psychosocial problems.

METHODS

All women (n=291) who lived in the Finnish residential schools on the last day of the years 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006 were included in this study and compared with matched general population controls. Register-based information on induced abortions and births was collected until the end of the year 2011.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, women with a residential school history had more induced abortions. A higher proportion of their births took place when they were teenagers or even minors. They were more often single, smoked significantly more during pregnancy and had a higher risk of having a preterm birth or a baby with a low birth weight.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings have implications for the planning of preventive and supportive interventions that aim to increase the well-being of women with a residential school history and their offspring.

“You don’t know half the story”: deepening the dialogue with young mothers in Australia

Pregnant and young mothers’ stories often go untold or are poorly represented within dominant health and social care discourses. Consequently, narratives of young mothers are largely absent from social and health care literature, especially in relation to how young women make sense, understand, and experience young motherhood. Drawing on 7 months of participant observation fieldwork at a community service, and 11 in-depth interviews, we discuss six metaphorical themes which capture the experiences of young mothers using a narrative approach. These include: Picking up the Pieces; Walking a Narrow and Familiar Path; Jumping over Puddles; Riding the Rapids to Motherhood; Living with Dirty Looks; and Asking for Directions. Contrary to the wider community’s deficit view and stereotypes of young mothers, what emerged from the narratives was quite a different story. Becoming a young mother meant taking a stand against stigma from the wider community; recognising motherhood as a significant and transformational turning point in their lives, one that opened doors to alternative storylines of hope, autonomy and agency, especially given a supportive context. These findings enhance our understandings by widening the lens to diverse realities that exist in young mothers’ lives and present a strong case for using a narrative approach to research and practice when working with young mothers.

How do health professionals support pregnant and young mothers in the community? A selective review of the research literature

BACKGROUND

The cultural phenomenon of "teenage pregnancy and motherhood" has been socially constructed and (mis)represented in social and health care discourses for several decades. Despite a growing body of qualitative research that presents an alternative and positive view of young motherhood, there remains a significant gap between pregnant and young women's experience of young motherhood and current global health and social policy that directs service delivery and practice.

AIM

This paper aims to heighten awareness of how a negative social construction of young motherhood influences global health and social policy that directs current community health models of practice and care for young mothers in the community.

DISCUSSION

There is clear evidence on the vital role social support plays in young women's experience of pregnancy and motherhood, particularly in forming a positive motherhood identity. This discussion paper calls us to start open and honest dialogue on how we may begin to re-vision the 'deficit view' of young motherhood in order to address this contradiction between research evidence, policy discourse and current practice and service provision. Qualitative research that privileges young women's voices by considering the multidimensional experiences of young motherhood is an important step towards moving away from universally prescribed interventions to a non-standard approach that fosters relational and responsive relationships with young mothers that includes addressing the immediate needs of young mothers at the particular time.

Pregnancy desire among a sample of young couples who are expecting a baby

CONTEXT

Adolescents' desire for a pregnancy has been explored more among females than among males. A more comprehensive understanding of teenagers' pregnancy desires is needed to inform pregnancy prevention efforts and to support couples as they undergo the transition to parenthood.

METHODS

In an observational cohort study conducted in 2007-2011 at clinics in Connecticut, data were collected from 296 couples (females aged 14-21 and their partners) who were expecting a baby. The degree to which each partner had wanted the pregnancy and partners' perceptions of each other's pregnancy desires were assessed. Multilevel regression models examined associations between pregnancy desire and individual, partner, family and community characteristics, and between desire and life and relationship satisfaction.

RESULTS

Forty-nine percent of females and 53% of males reported having wanted the pregnancy. Pregnancy desire scores were positively associated with being male, expecting a first baby, perceived partner desire and parental response to the pregnancy; scores were negatively associated with being in school, being employed and parental support. Females' perceptions of their partners' pregnancy desires were slightly more accurate than males' (kappas, 0.36 and 0.28, respectively). Pregnancy desire was positively associated with both life and relationship satisfaction, particularly among males.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents' pregnancy desires require further attention as a possible focus of pregnancy prevention efforts, and health care providers may want to ensure that young couples with unwanted pregnancies are offered additional psychological and social services as they transition to parenthood.