title: Social support and adaptation to the parent role in first-time adolescent mothers.
abstract: The relationship between social support and adaptation to parenthood for first-time adolescent mothers was investigated in this descriptive correlational study. The outcomes of adaptation were defined as the synchrony of parent-infant interaction and the level of stress related to parenting. A nonprobability sample of 18 adolescent, first-time mothers who had an uncomplicated perinatal experiences and delivered healthy, term newborns were selected. Data were collected during a home interview at one month postpartum. The measure of social support was significantly related to parent-infant reciprocity. Total functional support scores were inversely, but not significantly, correlated with total scores of stress related to parenting (r = -.31). Finally, the measure of reciprocity and the measure of stress related to parenting were inversely but not significantly related.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Dormire
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009773:Obstetric Nursing; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D012380:Role; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology