Poster #91 - Adolescent Mothers’ Mental Health and the Home Literacy Environment: The Role of Social Support

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Research indicates that adolescent pregnancy and parenting are associated with psychological and behavioral adjustment problems for both adolescent mothers and their children (e.g., Chang & Fine, 2007). Specifically, adolescent mothers are at heightened risk for depression (Mollborn & Morningstar, 2009), which predicts poorer cognitive outcomes and less school readiness in their children (Miller et al., 1996). Moreover, children of adolescent mothers have lower rates of completing high school, attending college, finding a stable job and to be self-supporting (e.g., Furstenberg, Lincoln, & Menken, 1981). The Home Literacy Environment (HLE) has been found to be an important predictor of school readiness in at-risk families, including children of adolescent mothers (Reese & Gallimore, 2000). However, social support, including support from family, friends, and significant others, may be a buffer against negative outcomes for children of adolescent parents (Jahromi et al., 2014). However, little is known about how social support might attenuate the relation between adolescent mothers’ mental health and their children’s outcomes. The presents study addresses this gap in the literature.
First, we examined associations between adolescent mothers’ depressive symptoms and the HLE in a predominantly Latina sample (N=79, Mage=18.9 years). We hypothesized that adolescent mothers with fewer depressive symptoms would have a better HLE. Second, we examined whether social support moderated the association between adolescent mothers’ depressive symptoms and the HLE. We hypothesized that adolescent mothers with fewer depressive symptoms combined with receiving more social support would have a better HLE.
Adolescent mothers were recruited from local schools and community groups working with teen parents. Participants completed questionnaires as part of a larger study of adolescent parents in a rural part of California. Social support from family, friends, and significant others was measured with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al, 1988). Adolescent mothers’ depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (Radloff, 1977). The HLE was measured with a modified version of the Home Literacy Environment Checklist (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2012).
Data collection is ongoing and reported findings represent preliminary results. Consistent with hypotheses, correlation analyses revealed that adolescent mothers’ depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with children’s literacy skills (r = -.27, p = .04). To test whether associations between adolescent mothers’ depressive symptoms and their children’s literacy were moderated by social support, two hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. Results revealed that there was a significant interaction between depressive symptoms and social support predicting children’s literacy (see Table 1). Examination of the plot revealed that adolescent mothers with fewer depressive symptoms and higher social support reported better literacy (see Figure 1).
Taken together, results suggest that adolescent mothers’ mental health is an important predictor of the HLE in the Latino population and social support may buffer the negative effects of depression on the HLE. This study holds implications for understanding early risk factors for poor school readiness of children of adolescent parents.

Authors

• Shun Ting Yung, University of California, Merced
  Presenting Author

• Alexandra Main, University of California, Merced
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rose Scott, University of California Merced
  Non-Presenting Author

• Eric A Walle, University of California, Merced
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, University of California, Merced
  Non-Presenting Author