Previous studies have examined how the language skills of children with adolescent mothers differs from children of older mothers. However, there is limited information on what specific strategies adolescent mothers utilize to increase early language and emergent literacy skills in their children. The aim of the present study is to examine adolescent mothers’ use of strategies to increase the early language and emergent literacy skills of their young children. A sample of 14 adolescent mothers enrolled in a teen parenting program were surveyed on their use of common strategies that are shown to facilitate early development of language and literacy skills in young children, and they provided a self-report of their child’s language development using a norm-referenced tool. A researcher developed questionnaire was used to determine the frequency of strategies used by the adolescent mothers. The MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories were used to gather child language development data to compare with the frequency of strategy usage. The measures were analyzed with ANOVAs, Pearson Correlations and Spearman’s rank-order correlations to determine the significance and relationship between variables. Adolescent mothers were found to generally score low on the Self-Assessment of Language and Literacy Implementation (SALLI), with deficits specifically in the areas of Directiveness and Home Environment. The CDIs showed that the children were reported to have below average language development, and their scores were significantly related to aspects of the adolescent mother’s reported implementation.

Adolescent mothers are unique; they are both teenagers and parents. Some are students. Many have difficulty with these multiple roles. Secondary schools that support adolescent mothers by providing parenting classes and daycare present an ideal environment to introduce and investigate parent-child music programs. In the present study, the experiences of adolescent mothers and their children in a modified music program based on Kindermusik (2010) curriculum are explored. This research is part of a growing movement to work with youth from a perspective of their interests, assets and resilience. The guiding research question is: What are the experiences of adolescent mothers and their infants in a culturally responsive parent-child music program? I worked with a local parent-child music instructor to implement a program in a Saskatoon school, and received support from a Cree Elder and a Métis singer-songwriter to develop a cultural component of the program. Thirteen young women and their infants participated in the study; one adolescent mother was Aboriginal and five infants had paternal Aboriginal heritage. Other participant ethnicities mirrored the diversity in Saskatoon where much of the population is of multi-ethnic origin from British, German, French, and Ukrainian ancestry (Thraves, 2006). A case study of the eight-week music program was used, emphasizing experiential knowledge, continuous compilation of data, extended researcher observation, and the development of relationship and participant empowerment (Stake, 2010). Primary sources of data included participant-observations and focus group interviews. Secondary sources comprised individual interviews with the parent-child music instructor, an Elder, and school staff; short check-in interviews with most of the adolescent mothers; and video footage and photographs taken during the parent-child music program. The Listening Guide (Gilligan, Spencer, Weinberg, & Bertsch, 2003)—a feminist analysis consistent with the epistemology—was used to interpret the focus group interviews. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was utilized to elucidate the other sources of data. The qualitative findings provide an in-depth understanding of the experiences of adolescent mothers and their infants in a parent-child music program using practical interactions that model and reinforce parenting skills through welcoming, informal, positive and culturally responsive activities. Key findings are strengthened mother-infant connections, enhanced maternal wellbeing, and the development of children’s social skills. Limitations and recommendations for further research are discussed.

A case study of two adolescent mothers of the same age is presented (17 years old) withwhich it is intended to explore the maternal representations and mother-baby interactions, that is, the different ways of “being with” a baby. The study pretends to discuss that it is not adolescent motherhood in itself a risk factor, but other mediating variables such as support network and the reflective function with which each young mother counts. Maternal repre- sentations were assessed through a semi-structured interview about maternal representations (Traverso, 2006) and the mother-infant interactions were measured and filmed through the Mother-Infant Global Ratings for two and four months (Murray, Fiori-Cowley & Cooper,1996). / Se presenta un estudio de caso de dos madres adolescentes de la misma edad (17 años), con el cual se intenta explorar las representaciones maternas y las interacciones madre-bebe, es decir, las distintas maneras de “estar con” el bebe. El estudio pretende discutir que la maternidad adolescente en sí misma no es un factor de riesgo, sino que otras variables moderadoras como la calidad de las redes de sostenimiento y la función reflexiva con que cada joven madre cuenta. Las representaciones maternas fueron evaluadas a través de una entrevista semi-estructurada sobre representaciones maternas (Traverso, 2006) y las interacciones madre-bebe fueron medidas y filmadas a través del Mother-Infant Global-Ratings para dos y cuatro meses (Murray, Fiori-Cowley & Cooper, 1996).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:38:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VeronicaSP.pdf: 518072 bytes, checksum: 14f1fd9a11dab1a2de2ad83e358f071f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2001-12-07 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / From evidence of an existing divergence of opinion among professionals and adolescents using the prenatal and delivery services at a Public Health Unit, aimed to study meanings and consequences of adolescent motherhood among 26 adolescent mothers living in Felipe Camar?o, low income district of Natal, capital do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Living in a peripheral neighbourhood with a high rate of adolescent mothers in relation to the total new-born, those girls, with offspring among 8 and 12 months age, during interview and focus groups, expressed a different appreciation of their experience than the hegemonic idea among professionals that considers pregnancy and motherhood as unwanted or undesired. With age among 15 and 20 years old, having 53,8% initiated sexual activity before being 15 years old, revealed that the pregnancy was desired in 73,1% of cases, but showing at the same time a social context marked by strong gender oppression and lack of opportunities as consequence of social class deprivation. Life projects, almost always limited to the constitution of a traditional nuclear family, with a purveyor father and care giver mother, appears with very limited possibilities: 46,2% already lived with her partner before becoming pregnant and for 50% of the participants, the birth of the child did not provoke changes in plans and projects. Lack of economical recourses and precarious public services available, together with an idealized maternity role seems to produce extra apprehension among those girls, resulting in frustration and disillusion. As a fact, 92,3% of those adolescents would recommend other adolescent to postpone the maternity project / Partindo da constata??o de que h? uma diverg?ncia de opini?o entre os profissionais e as adolescentes usu?rias dos servi?os de pr?-natal e de assist?ncia ao parto e puerp?rio em uma unidade p?blica de sa?de, abordam-se os significados e repercuss?es da maternidade na adolesc?ncia atrav?s da apreens?o dos sentidos subjacentes ao discurso de 26 m?es adolescentes residentes em Felipe Camar?o, periferia da cidade de Natal, capital do RN. Residindo em um bairro perif?rico com elevada freq??ncia relativa de m?es adolescentes em rela??o ao total de nascidos vivos, essas jovens, cujos filhos tinham entre 8 e 12 meses de idade, revelaram, nas entrevistas realizadas em domic?lio e nos grupos de discuss?o, uma viv?ncia que transcende a vis?o hegem?nica do fen?meno, tido como inoportuno e indesej?vel. Com idade entre 15 e 20 anos, tendo 53,8% iniciado a atividade sexual antes dos 15 anos de idade e revelando ter sido a gravidez desejada em 73,1% dos casos, falam de um contexto marcado por forte opress?o de g?nero e pela falta de oportunidades resultante da condi??o de classe. Os projetos de vida, quase sempre resumidos ? constitui??o de uma fam?lia nuclear tradicional, com pai provedor e m?e cuidadora, parecem n?o comportar muitas possibilidades: 46,2% j? vivam maritalmente ao engravidar e, para 50% das participantes, o nascimento da crian?a n?o provocou mudan?as nos planos ou projetos. A car?ncia econ?mica e a precariedade dos servi?os de apoio dispon?veis associam-se ao modelo altamente idealizado de maternagem vigente. A responsabilidade de prover material e afetivamente aos filhos, recaindo sobre essas jovens, resulta em frustra??o e desencantamento: 92,3% delas aconselhariam outras adolescentes a adiar o projeto de ser m?e

Adolescent pregnancy has been associated with adverse health and social outcomes, but it has also been favorably viewed as a pathway to adulthood. In Ecuador, where 20% of girls aged between 15-19 years get pregnant, the adolescent fertility rate has increased and inequalities between adolescent girls from different educational, socio-economic levels and geographical regions are prominent: 43% of illiterate adolescents become pregnant compared to 11% with secondary education. The highest adolescent fertility rates are found in the Amazon Basin.   The overall aim of this study was to explore adolescent pregnancy in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador (Orellana province) from a rights and gender approach. Specific aims and methodologies included: to explore women‟s reproductive health situation, focusing on government‟s obligations, utilization of services, inequities and implementation challenges, assessed through a community-based cross-sectional survey and a policy analysis (Paper I); to examine risk factors associated with adolescent pregnancy, through a case-control study (Paper II); to explore experiences and emotions around pregnancy and motherhood among adolescent girls, using content analysis (Paper III); and to analyze providers‟ and policy makers‟ discourses on adolescent pregnancies (Paper IV).   Reproductive health status findings for women in Orellana indicated a reality more dismal than that depicted in official national health data and policies. Inequities existed within the province, with rural indigenous women having reduced access to reproductive health services. In Orellana, 37.4% of girls aged 15-19 had experienced pregnancy, almost double the national average. Risk factors associated with adolescent pregnancy at the behavioral level included early sexual debut and non-use of contraception, and at the structural level poverty, having suffered from sexual abuse, and family disruption. Gender inequity played a key role through the machismo-marianismo system. Girls were raised to be fearful and ignorant regarding sexuality and reproduction, to be submissive and obedient, to be fatalistic, and to accept the established order of the male and adult dominance. Sexuality was conceptualized as negative, while motherhood was idealized. Those gender structures constrained girls‟ agency, making them less able to make choices regarding their sexual and reproductive lives. Providers‟ discourses and practices were also strongly influenced by gender structures. Adolescent sexuality was not sanctioned, girls‟ access to contraceptives still faced opposition, adolescent autonomy was regarded as dangerous, and pregnancy and reproductive health issues were conceptualized as girls‟ responsibility. However, mechanisms of resistance and challenge were also found both among adolescent girls and providers.   Programs addressing adolescent pregnancies in the area need to look at the general situation of women‟s reproductive health and address the gaps regarding access and accountability. Adolescent pregnancy prevention programs should acknowledge the key role of structural factors and put emphasis on gender issues. Gender inequity affects many of the factors that influence adolescent pregnancies; sexual abuse, girls‟ limited access to use contraceptives, and girls‟ curtailed capability to decide regarding marriage or sexual intercourse, are strongly linked with young women‟s subordination. By challenging negative attitudes towards adolescents‟ sexuality, the encounter between providers and adolescents could become an opportunity for strengthening girls‟ reproductive and sexual agency.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2009. / Även tryckt utgåva. Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Ce travail de doctorat en démographie met l'accent sur l'entrée très précoce dans la maternité dans une perspective comparative entre deux pays proches sur le plan socioéconomique, mais qui se distinguent sur le plan de la fécondité, surtout pendant la période de l'adolescence – la France et l'Angleterre-Galles. Il explore les maternités adolescentes en tant que comportement reproductif « hors norme » et tente de placer ces maternités « non désirées » dans le contexte de la transition vers l’âge adulte. Nous offrons une vue longitudinale de cette problématique en décrivant « trois temps » de la vie d’une mère adolescente :- Le temps d’« avant maternité » où le fait de devenir mère adolescente est fonction de trois probabilités : celle d’avoir des rapports sexuels, celle de recourir à un (des) moyen(s) contraceptif(s) et celle de recourir à l’IVG en cas de grossesse ;- Le temps de la maternité. Quelles sont les situations de vie de ces mères adolescentes au moment de la naissance de leurs enfants ? - Le temps d’« après-maternité ». Comment varient les parcours génésiques, conjugaux, professionnels et résidentiels des femmes en fonction de leur âge à l’entrée dans la maternité ? / This thesis in demography focuses upon very early entries into motherhood in a comparative perspective between two countries similar in socioeconomic terms but differing vastly in terms of fertility, especially during adolescence - France and England and Wales. It explores adolescent maternities as an “uncommon” reproductive behaviour and aims to place these un-“unintended” births in the context of the transition to adulthood. We offer a longitudinal view of this phenomenon by describing three “periods” in the life of an adolescent mother:- The period “before maternity” where becoming an adolescent mother is a function of three probabilities: of having sexual intercourse, of using contraception and of having an abortion in case of a pregnancy;- The period of the maternity. What are the characteristics and life conditions of adolescent mothers at the time of birth ?- The period “after maternity”. How do the reproductive, conjugal, professional and residential trajectories of mothers vary in function of their age at first birth ?