Coping Strategies and Perceived Social Support of Primiparous Adolescent Mothers

摘要

The purpose of this longitudinal study were to: 1) describe coping strategies and perceived social support of adolescent mothers at three points in time; 2) identify changes that occur in coping strategies and social support over time; 3) determine whether changes in social support from the last trimester of pregnancy to one month postpartum are associated with changes in coping strategies from one month postpartum to six months postpartum; 4) determine whether there is a difference between mothers who have contact with the fathers of their babies and mothers who do not have contact with the fathers of their babies in relation to satisfaction with social support; 5) examine the relationship between maternal age and the types of coping strategies most commonly used; and 6) examine the relationship between maternal age the the frequency of received socially supportive behaviors. Panzarine's Coping with Motherhood scale and an adapted version of Barrera's Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors were administered to a convenience sample of 80 mostly black, low socioeconomic status, primiparous adolescents at three intervals: the last trimester of pregnancy, one month postpartum, and sic months postpartum. Data were obtained, with permission, from Dr. Panzarine's larger unpublished study of adolescent mothers. (sdw)