Legacies of advantage and disadvantage: the case of teen mothers.
OBJECTIVE
The life trajectories of teen mothers and their children were examined with data from a larger longitudinal study.


METHODS
All 5 waves of the study were designed from the hermeneutic tradition.


METHODS
Sixteen families began the study in 1988-1989 (Time 1) and were invited to participate in subsequent studies (1993, 1997, 2001, and 2005). Twenty-eight informants participated in the fifth wave of the study (Time 5).


METHODS
This analysis capitalized on the diversity of teen mothers' family backgrounds to examine the life chances of mothers and their first-born children as mothers entered their 30s. Three domains are addressed: teen mothers' educational attainment, their social class status, and their oldest child's school progress and sexual activity.


RESULTS
Teen mothers' life trajectories reflected legacies of unequal life chances that began in childhood and persisted into their 30s. Mothers with childhood advantages fared better over time than impoverished mothers, and a legacy of advantage contributed to a cushion of safety and opportunity for their teenaged children.


CONCLUSIONS
The powerful legacy of social class and racial divisions on teen mothers' long-term outcomes challenges the view that teen mothering leads to a downward spiral with negative repercussions for mothers and children.
Smithbattle
Lee
L
Saint Louis University School of Nursing, St. Louis, Missouri 63104-1099, USA. smithli@slu.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008923:Missouri; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000193:education / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data