Much of the research on women who become mothers during their teenage years has focused on risks and negative outcomes. Many of these risks are directly linked to the limited education of women who become pregnant before finishing high school. Research indicates that many young pregnant and parenting women drop out of high school and live in poverty.., Some women, however, who become mothers during their high school years do go on to complete high school as well as post-secondary education, which significantly reduces the risks associated with poverty. In this study, I have revealed the experiences of one woman who became a mother before she had completed high school. After experiencing many of the risks associated with adolescence, as well as lone-parenting, she went on to pursue a university degree. Her story lends insight into the issues, challenges, and resiliency factors she faced along her journey. Hers is a story not only of personal change and development but also of issues reaching beyond her life into the social arena. Using Immersion/Chrystallization of the interview and fieldnotes collected for this study, I have presented this positive research as an evocative story. To represent this story, I used elements of both autoethnography and fiction. Themes and significant events within the participant's life were represented in the form of fictional accounts., which I connected and interpreted through my own experience, providing the autoethnographic component of this research. The ultimate purpose of this research is the evocative story that I have presented. This is a story that will lead the reader to understand the complexity of the life of a lone-mother, to know the story of her life and to enter into her feelings, to find her inner story. It is a story that not only tells of personal experiences but also confronts the patriarchal structures of society that enmesh lone-mothers and challenges many of the myths or grand narratives that define the lives of teenage mothers.

Much of the research on women who become mothers during their teenage years has focused on risks and negative outcomes. Many of these risks are directly linked to the limited education of women who become pregnant before finishing high school. Research indicates that many young pregnant and parenting women drop out of high school and live in poverty.., Some women, however, who become mothers during their high school years do go on to complete high school as well as post-secondary education, which significantly reduces the risks associated with poverty. In this study, I have revealed the experiences of one woman who became a mother before she had completed high school. After experiencing many of the risks associated with adolescence, as well as lone-parenting, she went on to pursue a university degree. Her story lends insight into the issues, challenges, and resiliency factors she faced along her journey. Hers is a story not only of personal change and development but also of issues reaching beyond her life into the social arena. Using Immersion/Chrystallization of the interview and fieldnotes collected for this study, I have presented this positive research as an evocative story. To represent this story, I used elements of both autoethnography and fiction. Themes and significant events within the participant's life were represented in the form of fictional accounts., which I connected and interpreted through my own experience, providing the autoethnographic component of this research. The ultimate purpose of this research is the evocative story that I have presented. This is a story that will lead the reader to understand the complexity of the life of a lone-mother, to know the story of her life and to enter into her feelings, to find her inner story. It is a story that not only tells of personal experiences but also confronts the patriarchal structures of society that enmesh lone-mothers and challenges many of the myths or grand narratives that define the lives of teenage mothers.

Teenage pregnancy is a global public health problem, which results in inevitable interruptions in their education. In some instances, dropping out of school is temporary, but some of teenagers do not return to school. The dual responsibility of parenting and school work often results in poor scholastic performance, adding to the burden of a limited education and scarce employment opportunities. Since 2004, schools in Soshanguve have been requesting urgent preventive interventions regarding teenage pregnancy, which prompted the need for this study. The aim of the study was to determine the pattern of relationships, perceptions and the socio-cultural environments of pregnant teenagers in Soshanguve. A qualitative exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used for the study. Participants comprised teenagers from Soshanguve secondary schools, who visited the clinic for ante-natal or post-natal care. A purposive sampling method was used and the sample size was determined by saturation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 participants. Tesch’s approach, using open coding and a template analysis system, was utilised for data analysis. Teenagers lacked information about menarche and menstruation, leaving them unprepared for their pregnancies. Participants did not realise the consequences of their love and sex relationships. Circumstances around their lives and the socio-cultural environments contributed to their pregnancies, resulting in teenagers showing regret, shame, denial and some accepting their pregnancies. Communication about sexuality was lacking and teenagers had no risk perceptions teenage pregnancy is urgently needed.

This research endeavor contributes to a better understanding of the career development of adolescent mothers by (a) highlighting the contextual considerations; (b) examining the existing body of literature; (c) contributing to the research on adolescent mothers' career adaptability, resiliency, and obstacles; and (c) proposing ways to bridge the research to practice gap. An ecological examination of the contextual considerations associated with adolescent pregnancy and motherhood provided pertinent information on which to base a culturally sensitive framework to examine the career development of adolescent mothers using the concepts of career adaptability and resiliency and an assessment of obstacles that may impede their career development. The culturally sensitive framework was used in two studies conducted to better understand the career development of adolescent mothers. The first was a content analysis designed to provide a better understanding of the published literature and to direct a research study. Content analysis findings revealed the need to develop and implement comprehensive programs for adolescent mothers that are strength-based, responsive to areas of need, and foster career development skills/knowledge and resiliency. Using the results of the content analysis, a study was designed to examine the relationships among career adaptability, resiliency, and perceived obstacles to career development with a convenience sample of adolescent mothers. Results indicated that these adolescent mothers were similar to non-mothering peers in the planning and decision making dimensions of career adaptability but lower in exploration. Traits of personal resiliency and emotional reactivity were comparable to non-mothering peers, but relational resiliency was lower. Obstacles most often cited as impeding career development were pressing immediate needs and educational/career related concerns. Finally, the need to bridge the research to practice gap is discussed including considerations related to practitioners, organizations, and communication. In an effort to bridge the research to practice gap, the Interactive Systems Framework (ISF) is proposed as a model for communicating with practitioners through Synthesis and Translation, Support, and Delivery systems. The model is presented as an example for sharing with practitioners a culturally sensitive framework on the career adaptability of adolescent mothers supported by dissemination and implementation of research findings. / Ph. D.

Synchronous interaction between adolescent mothers with preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was examined in this study. Understanding the characteristics of synchrony in adolescent mother and premature infant interactions during this early period in the development of the relationship provides direction for the development of nursing strategies to foster synchronous interaction in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting and, subsequently, positive developmental outcomes for preterm infants. The research design was a one-group, pretest-posttest, exploratory intervention assessing synchronous interaction using the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS) among 27 adolescent mothers and their premature infants in the NICU. The study examined the differences in adolescent mother-premature infant interaction in the NICU environment prior to an intervention and within 48 hours after receiving the Preterm Infant Cues Intervention (PICI). Additional variables including stress, social support, age of the adolescent mother and preterm infant, ethnicity, length of stay in the NICU, and preterm infant weight were considered. Results showed a statistically significant difference between Time 1 and Time 2 synchronous interaction measurements indicating that the PICI may have resulted in the adolescent mother better understanding the preterm infant’s behavior. The Caregiver Total Scale score (t = -3.93, p < .001) and the Total Scale score (t = -3.96, p < .001) were the two main scales that the PICI could have affected. There were no correlations among the other independent variables and the dependant variable. Future research should focus on a large scale longitudinal study to measure synchronous interaction over multiple time points beginning in the NICU carrying through the first year of child development. Adding a qualitative component to future studies would provide further insight into experience of adolescent mothers with preterm infants. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-115).

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Background: Breastfeeding is well established as the optimal method for ensuring healthy infant nutrition. However, many adolescents remain unaware of the role of breastfeeding. Adolescent mothers continue to have the lowest rate of breastfeeding in many countries including Thailand, with only 17% of Thai adolescent mothers continuing to breastfed at 6 months postpartum. Objective: Examine factors influencing breastfeeding behaviors in adolescent mothers, particularly those in Thailand. Methods: This dissertation project involved two research studies focusing on breastfeeding influencing factors in adolescent mothers. The first study was an integrative review of 22 articles published in 2000-2012. The findings revealed that personal factors appear to be the most important to the decision to initiate and maintain breastfeeding for adolescent mothers. Perceptions of cultural expectations also influence breastfeeding decisions and behaviors. Additionally, infant factors seem to be considerations in breastfeeding duration for the adolescent mother. The second study used a prospective cohort design to explore personal, social, cultural, and infant factors that explain and predict breastfeeding initiation and maintenance at 4 weeks postpartum in Thai adolescent mothers. The sample of 96 adolescent mothers was recruited at two prenatal clinics in Thailand. There were three time points for data collection; the initial visit was completed in the prenatal period, the second visit was within 48 hours postpartum, and the third was at 4 weeks postpartum. Instruments were the Iowa Infant feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS), Breastfeeding Influencing Factor Assessment (BIFA), Hughes Breast-Feeding Support Scale (HBSS), Pictorial Assessment of Temperament (PAT), Vulnerable Baby Scale (VBS), and Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), all of which were translated into the Thai language. Results: Personal, social, and cultural factors were significantly correlated with breastfeeding initiation and were significant positive predictors of exclusive breastfeeding duration. Infant temperament was a significant negative predictor of exclusive breastfeeding duration. Maternal competence was also positively correlated with duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion: Facilitating the support mothers receive from their personal support systems is important to breastfeeding duration and maternal competence in the postpartum period. Enhancing exclusive breastfeeding and maternal competence provides a supportive environment for new adolescent mothers to develop their maternal role.