Effects of friend support on the parenting behavior of Latina adolescent mothers
Social support and parenting research with adolescent mothers has principally focused on samples of African American and European American mothers and support provided by the parenting adolescent’s own mother. There are gaps in the available empirical evidence regarding support provided by other members of the adolescent mother’s network and parenting by Latina mothers. The current study explores the number of friends and types of friend social support (emotional, socializing, child care) in a sample of Latina adolescent mothers (N=168). Friend social support types were examined as separate predictors of maternal behaviors displayed during a social play interaction, above and beyond the effect of grandmother support. Friends were found to be a considerable source of support, as 61% of mothers reported some type of support from friends. Mothers reporting greater emotional support from friends displayed more maternal sensitivity and cognitive growth fostering behavior. In contrast, mothers indicating greater friend socializing support displayed less cognitive growth fostering behavior. Child care assistance from friends was related to the display of more detachment and less cognitive growth fostering behavior for younger, but not for older adolescent mothers. These findings emphasize the importance of assessing the types of friend support as separate measures in an ecological context that takes into account mother’s individual and developmental characteristics.
Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Minority and Ethnic Groups, Maternal behavior, Latina, Adolescent mothers, Friend social support
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