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What is the Lived Experience of First-Time Adolescent Mothers?

Amos, Nancy A.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1467994672

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Social Welfare.
In 2014 approximately 249,000 babies were born in the United States to young women between the ages of 15 and 19. There are medical and psychological complications associated with adolescent pregnancy. One problem is the presence of maternal depression which is a serious condition with implications for both the mother and the child. Depression is experienced differently in adolescents than in adults, making it difficult to accurately assess and plan for services. Guided by Relational-Cultural Theory, this qualitative study described the lived experience of adolescent mothers in the early postpartum period. The study also examined adolescent mothers classified as depressed compared to those as nondepressed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Eight adolescent mothers between the ages of 15 and 19 were interviewed using a semi-structured interview grounded in the theoretical and empirical literature. Questions were asked about risk factors for depression and to elicit the experiences of the participants as mothers. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Atlas.ti software was used to code and merge data. Two coders were used to increase reliability of the themes observed. At the micro level, participants talked about their change of perception of themselves, change in school plans, lack of knowledge about pregnancy and delivery, and feeling the pressure of time and role conflict. At the mezzo level, participants described the loss of friends when they became mothers and about changing connections and disconnections with family members and with the father of their baby. At the macro level, participants talked about negotiating medical, daycare, and educational systems and about their perceptions of being treated differently as a reaction to their status as an adolescent mother. Participants described both connections and disconnections that improved their experience of being an adolescent mother. The participants described ways in which their connections with adults could be improved by listing ideas about what they wanted adults to know about their experience. The findings are discussed in relation to implications for social work practice, policy, and future research.
Elizabeth Tracy, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
151 p.
Behavioral Sciences; Early Childhood Education; Families and Family Life; Health Care; Psychology; Social Work
qualitative research; social work; adolescent mothers; lived experience

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Amos, N. A. (2016). What is the Lived Experience of First-Time Adolescent Mothers? [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1467994672

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Amos, Nancy. What is the Lived Experience of First-Time Adolescent Mothers? 2016. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1467994672.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Amos, Nancy. "What is the Lived Experience of First-Time Adolescent Mothers?" Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1467994672

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1467994672
467
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.