Social support during adolescent pregnancy: piecing together a quilt.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate pregnant adolescents' experiences of receiving support, including variations by age.


METHODS
The study was guided by feminist theory.


METHODS
An alternative, public school for pregnant and parenting adolescents in an urban area of the Southern United States.


METHODS
Participants (n = 30) consisted of 6 early (13-14), 19 middle (15-16), and 5 late (17-18) adolescents. Nineteen of the participants were African American, 10 European American, and 1 Asian American.


METHODS
A qualitative research design based on feminist theory with data collected through focus groups. The focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and checked against the first author's field notes, then analyzed using principles of analytic induction. Group interaction and influence were considered.


RESULTS
The metaphor of a patchwork quilt emerged from the data and represented how adolescents "piece together" the support they need from adults, peers, and partners who are often unreliable. Affecting receipt of social support were the adolescents' relationships with their families and their babies' fathers, threats to their safety, and their socioeconomic status.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings can be used by nurses, educators, and community leaders as they develop programs to meet the needs of these young women.
Logsdon
M Cynthia
MC
University of Louisville, 555 Floyd Street, Louisville, KY 40202, USA. mclogs01@gwise.louisville.edu
Gagne
Patricia
P
Hughes
Tara
T
Patterson
Jennifer
J
Rakestraw
Vivian
V
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology; D000367:Age Factors; D001213:Asian / Q000208:ethnology; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D019513:Feminism; D017144:Focus Groups; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology