Initial parenting attitudes of pregnant adolescents and a comparison with the decision about adoption

The Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory was used to examine the initial parenting attitudes of a sample of pregnant adolescents. In addition, the attitudes about parenting were correlated with the decision of the adolescent to either keep or place the baby for adoption. Pregnant adolescents scored significantly lower on the "expectations for children" construct than all groups of controls. They scored significantly higher than adolescent controls on the "empathy" construct but lower than the adult controls. On the "corporal punishment" construct, they scored significantly lower than nonabused adolescent controls but were similar to abused adolescent controls. On the "role-reversal" construct, they scored significantly higher than abused adolescent controls, lower than adult controls, and about the same as nonabused adolescent controls. Adolescents who placed their babies had significantly lower scores on the role-reversal measure, but the differences between keepers and placers on the expectations, empathy, and corporal punishment dimensions were not significant. The results are discussed in terms of (1) the areas where attitudes about parenting are below appropriate levels, (2) the possibility of competent teenage mothers, and (3) the groundwork necessary for preparing adolescents for parenthood should they elect to keep their babies.     

Parenting attitudes of adolescent and older mothers

The parenting attitudes of adolescent and older mothers were assessed at 1 and 12 months postpartum to explore group differences and determine if these attitudes predicted quality of home environment and parenting behaviors at 12 months. Adolescent mothers scored significantly lower than did older mothers in empathy toward children's needs, but there were no significant group differences on three other parenting attitude constructs. There were no significant correlations between parenting attitudes at 1 month and parenting behaviors at 12 months for either group. For adolescent mothers at 12 months postpartum, the only attitude construct that was significantly related to concurrent quality of parenting was developmental expectations of the child. These and other findings are discussed in the context of current theory and intervention related to adolescent parenting.     

Parenting styles and learned resourcefulness of Turkish adolescents

This study investigated the differences among 834 high school students regarding learned resourcefulness in terms of perceived parenting style and gender. The data were gathered by administering the Parenting Style Inventory (PSI) and Rosenbaum's Self-Control Schedule (SCS). The results of ANOVA pertaining to the scores of learned resourcefulness yielded a significant main effect for parenting style groups. Neither the main effect for gender nor the gender and parenting style interaction effect was significant. The findings suggest that those who perceived their parents as authoritative had a relatively high level of learned resourcefulness as compared to those who perceived their parents as neglectful and authoritarian. Findings also indicated that those who perceived their parents as indulgent had a higher level of learned resourcefulness than those who perceived their parents as neglectful and authoritarian.     

Reducing smoking among pregnant adolescents

Pregnant adolescents who smoke present a double obstetrical risk. Not only is the adolescent mother at risk from the biological, social, educational, and economic factors associated with childbearing at a young age, she and her developing infant also risk the complications associated with maternal smoking. This paper describes a psychosocial intervention designed to reduce smoking in a group of pregnant adolescents. Five modules are presented. Each is designed to: (1) heighten awareness of the issue, (2) provide motivational messages, (3) enhance the adolescent's social skills, and (4) teach specific smoking-cessation skills.     

Genetic counseling for pregnant adolescents

The genetic counseling literature has a paucity of information on how to provide genetic counseling services to adolescents, especially those who are pregnant. The adolescent population should be viewed as a separate culture, complete with their own beliefs and viewpoints, which are dependent upon the developmental growth tasks of puberty. The completion of these tasks is complicated by pregnancy, which has its own set of developmental goals. The adolescent struggle with developmental goals interferes with the ability to identify consequences, predict future outcomes, and communicate self-revealing statements or decisions effectively. Instead, the adolescent has an egocentric frame of reference and seeks peer approval. The genetic counseling dilemmas presented by pregnant adolescents are illustrated through two case reports. A model based on our own experience and a literature review for successful counseling of adolescents is presented, and utilizes the foundation of trust, patience, and nonjudgmental behavior. Techniques that address the adolescent's concern for autonomy and peer approval are important, and can be achieved through nonthreatening, open-ended questions that promote self-expression. Incorporation of these techniques in genetic counseling and in graduate training will enhance genetic counseling services to the adolescent population.     

Differences in irrational beliefs of pregnant and never pregnant adolescents

Twenty-five pregnant and/or parenting adolescents were compared with sixteen nonpregnant adolescents on two irrationality measures: The Child and Adolescent Scale of Irrationality and the Adolescent Pregnancy Beliefs Questionnaire. Findings suggest that pregnant adolescents subscribe to a greater number of general irrational beliefs; to a greater number of irrational beliefs specific to sex, dating and birth control; to a greater number of beliefs consistent with promoting pregnancy; and to fewer beliefs that might deter pregnancy when compared to never pregnant adolescents.Karen Westphal holds a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of South Carolina. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio.Susan Wagner worked with Dr. Westphal on this research while she was a graduate student at Cleveland State University. She is presently employed in the Mood Disorders Research Project at University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio.     

Psychosocial characteristics of pregnant and nulliparous adolescents

A case control study was carried out with 19 pregnant and 20 nulliparous fifteen- and sixteen-year-old black teenage women patients at an adolescent clinic. Both groups were measured on twenty-one variables, which included personal and family history information as well as scores on twelve scales of adolescent psychosocial adjustment. A stepwise discriminant analysis was carried out comparing both groups. The first analysis using only psychosocial adjustment variables did not significantly discriminate between the two groups. The second analysis used family history and psychosocial adjustment variables and had a multiple correlation of .65, with p = .008. The discriminant function generated was able to correctly classify 89.5% of the pregnant group and 80% of the nulliparous group. The pregnant group had lower maternal educational level, later sex education, more brothers, better family adjustment, but poorer vocational adjustment. The study suggests that distinct characteristics do exist for the pregnant adolescent in the population studied, but that such characteristics do not indicate family or psychological disturbance in pregnant adolescents. Further, the importance of the meaning of adolescent pregnancy within different cultural and socioeconomic contexts is discussed.     

Parenting styles and career decision-making among French and Korean adolescents

This study compared the relationship of parenting styles to the career decision-making of adolescents from a Western and an Eastern context. Specifically, 575 French high school students and 613 South Korean high school students completed a questionnaire assessing perceived parenting style, career decision-making difficulties, and career decision self-efficacy. The Korean adolescents had lower career decision self-efficacy beliefs and higher career decision-making difficulties than the French adolescents. The authoritarian parenting style was associated with higher scores on career decision self-efficacy and lower scores on a measure of career decision-making difficulties in the Korean sample while the authoritative parenting style was associated with higher scores on career decision self-efficacy and lower scores on a measure of career decision-making difficulties in the French sample. Results showed significant effects for gender and parenting style on the career decision-making outcomes of both samples.     

Parenting practices and internalizing and externalizing problems in Spanish adolescents

The goal of this study was to analyze the relationship between parenting practices and internalizing and externalizing problems presented by a group of adolescents according to their gender. Four hundred and sixty-nine secondary school students (aged between 12 and 18) participated in this study. The adolescents presented differences in perception of the educational practices of both parents as a function of their gender. Negative parenting practices were positively related to adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas positive practices were negatively related to externalizing problems. Moreover, differences between boys and girls were found in predictor variables of problems, and the predictive power of the variables was higher for externalizing problems.     

Parenting typologies in Georgian and Belgian adolescents: Associations with self-esteem

The parenting context is of fundamental importance for the optimal development of adolescents. Making use of a person-centered approach, we derived parenting typologies from the perspective of Georgian and Belgian adolescents based on four dimensions of perceived parenting (responsiveness, structure, psychological control, and autonomy support). Further, we examined how perceived parenting typologies were associated with adolescents' self-esteem. The study sample included 511 Georgian and 830 Belgian adolescents (N = 1341; 48% female). A cluster-analytic procedure on the full sample was conducted separately for mothers and fathers. The analysis yielded five parenting typologies: Supportive—Highly structuring (high responsiveness and structure), Highly structuring—Moderately controlling (high structure and psychological control, moderate—responsiveness), Supportive—Low structuring/controlling (high responsiveness and autonomy support, low structure and psychological control), Highly controlling (very high psychological control, low responsiveness and autonomy support) and Uninvolved (low on all dimensions). Results indicated that the Highly structuring—Moderately controlling paternal cluster was more prevalent in the Belgian sample. A country-moderating effect was found with the paternal Uninvolved profile associated with low levels of self-esteem in Belgian adolescents, but with moderate levels of self-esteem in Georgian adolescents.     

Body attitudes and body experiences in suicidal adolescents

The relationships between cognitive and affective attitudes toward the body, body experiences (dissociation, insensitivity, and lack of control), and suicidal tendencies were examined as a derivative of the hypothesis that bodily attitudes and experiences may facilitate suicidal acting out. Three groups of adolescents (aged 14-18), including suicidal (made a suicide attempt) and nonsuicidal inpatients and controls, were compared with regard to suicidal tendencies, various body aspects, and depression and anxiety. A series of MANOVAs, discriminant analysis, Pearson correlations, and regressions were employed. The results show that the suicidal group differed from the two nonsuicidal groups in feelings toward the body, body protection, and body dissociation. Some aspects of bodily measures discriminated between suicidal and nonsuicidal subjects. In addition, various bodily measures were associated with and statistically predicted suicidal tendencies. The discussion focuses on the web of associations between body attitudes and experiences and their role in suicidal behavior.     

Locus of control and attitudes to authority among adolescents

This study investigated the relationship between locus of control and attitudes toward authority among a sample of Australian adolescents. Results showed, firstly, that internals have positive attitudes toward those in positions of authority (Police, Teachers, Army) and, secondly, that attitudes to various authorities are generally interrelated. These findings are discussed in the light of the personality correlates of internality and externality.     

Differences in smoking attitudes of adolescents and young adults

This study employed the Theory of Planned Behavior to examine the differences between adolescent (n = 182) and young adults (n = 209) in their intention to smoke and examined possible differences. Analysis showed that young adults had more positive self-reported attitudes toward smoking than adolescents, had higher intentions to smoke, lower perceived behavioral control over smoking and perceived they were more informed about smoking. The Theory of Planned Behavior provided good prediction of intention for both young adults (R2 = .70, attitudes, information, and past behavior significant) and adolescents (R2 = .68, attitudes, past behavior significant). For both samples attitudes were the strongest predictor of intentions to smoke. Implications for understanding intention toward smoking between adolescents and young adults are discussed.     

Parental attitudes and ego identity status of Turkish adolescents

This study investigated the differences among 403 middle adolescents regarding Marcia's four identity statuses in terms of perceived parental attitudes and gender. The Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOMEIS-2) and Parental Education Scale (PAS) were used to collect data. Results showed that children of authoritative parents scored significantly higher on identity foreclosure than those of neglectful parents. Children of permissive parents scored significantly higher on identity foreclosure than those of neglectful parents. In addition, female students scored higher on achievement identity status while male students scored higher on identity foreclosure.     

Expressed attitudes of adolescents toward marriage and family life

In the U.S., modifications in family structure and in attitudes concerning marriage and family life have been numerous. Areas such as sexual behavior and alternative living arrangements have become highly varied and nontraditional compared to past generations. This study examined the attitudes of adolescents toward aspects of marriage and family life. The majority of adolescents expressed negative attitudes toward divorce and viewed marriage as a lifelong commitment. While only about a third of the adolescents expressed positive attitudes toward premarital sex, a majority indicated they would engage in sexual intercourse before marriage, or already have. Interestingly, about half of the adolescents held positive attitudes toward cohabitation. Lastly, the adolescents demonstrated a growing acceptance of premarital counseling and psychoeducational interventions regarding marriage and family life.     

Correlates of attitudes toward sexual harassment among early adolescents

A survey of 458 early adolescents (87% White; 278 females and 280 males; Mage = 13) examined the interacting relationship between family environment and involvement with pop music, and attitudes toward sexual harassment, while also controlling for sex. Attitudes toward sexual harassment were assessed by an eight-item Likert-type scale constructed from common behavioral definitions of sexual harassment (reliability alpha = .89). Results indicated females held less accepting attitudes toward sexual harassment than males. Involvement with pop music was associated with acceptance of sexual harassment, especially for females. The combination of a high level of exposure to pop music videos, and being from an unsatisfactory or nonintact family, was strongly associated with acceptance of sexual harassment for females and less so for males. The findings of this study could have implications for the etiology of acceptance of other coercive behaviors among adults.