The purpose of this project was to assess the relationship of maternal psychosocial factors on maternal competence for infant feeding in a sample of first-time, adolescent mothers. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used for this study. Mothers (n=67) were recruited from a pediatric primary care clinic and a local WIC clinic. All mothers completed semi-structured interviews that included standardized measures with the PI per approved Institutional Review Board protocols. Maternal age ranged between 15 to 22 years. Reports of maternal self-esteem and social support were high, along with a moderate percentage of mothers reporting high depressive symptoms. Most mothers attempted to breastfeed (53%) but few breastfed their infant beyond six months. Inappropriate food choices (e.g., french fries) and practices such as cereal in their babies bottles and starting solid foods prior to six-months of age were reported. Additional inappropriate feeding practices identified included giving greater than 6 ounces of juice a day and 8 ounces of water a day, and incorrectly preparing the formula. Only 12% of mothers reported a healthcare professional as influential in telling them how to feed their baby. Maternal attitudes related to infant feeding were found to be related to psychosocial factors. Higher depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem and functional social support were associated with maternal concern that the infant was undereating and at risk for becoming underweight, concern that the infant was hungry and not satisfied, and concern that the infant was overeating and at risk for becoming overweight. Maternal knowledge of infant feeding practices was negatively related to maternal depressive symptoms. In addition, maternal skills related to infant feeding were negatively associated to depressive symptoms and positively associated with reports of high social support.
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This study adds to the growing body of knowledge and helps frame future research related to the numerous contextual factors in adolescent mothers lives (e.g., their primary support person) and the impact on their parenting practices. In addition, it raises the notion of the importance of evaluating the psychosocial health of young mothers and the influence it can play on their parenting practices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-03302008-165632 |
| Date | 14 April 2008 |
| Creators | Karp, Sharon Marie |
| Contributors | Melanie Lutenbacher, Vaughn Sinclair, Patricia Temple, Joseph Hepworth, Sharon Barton |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-03302008-165632/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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