title: Contrasts in the self-esteem of unwed teenage mothers.
abstract: The self-esteem of 93 unmarried females between the ages of fourteen and nineteen was measured upon entry into several state-sponsored training programs. Some significant differences were discovered concerning the impact of early motherhood on these individuals. The symbolic importance of motherhood, as a passage into adult status, and the intervening effects of normative group anchorage may mediate between individuals' cognitive ability and their level of self-esteem.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011606:Psychosexual Development; D012649:Self Concept