| Study of the effects of teenage childbearing on maternal functioning continues to receive a large amount of attention. An intense focus on age at first birth, racial differences and marital status is evidenced by the majority of studies regarding teen childbearing.;Conventional opinion is that teen mothers, due to their young age lack attributes necessary for effective parenting and successful psychosocial outcomes. Recent attempts to better understand the precise causes of negative outcomes for teen mothers have evolved a complex spectrum of variables. A key dimension of this current work is that stressful life events may be proximal events that influence adult outcomes for mothers. There is a great deal of evidence that many teen mothers prior to ever becoming pregnant, suffer childhood physical and sexual abuse1 (Herrera & McCloskey, 2003; Tjaden et. al. 2000; Thompson, Kingree, & Desai, 2004), witness violence towards a parent, sibling, playmate or other significant person (McFarlane et. al. 2003).;The focus of the research reported in the following chapters is an assessment of psychosocial factors that identify variations in the predictors of poor psychosocial outcomes for mothers. Using data from the National Comorbidity Study (NCS) I explore the ways in which exposure to childhood adversity may be associated with negative social, behavioral, health and emotional outcomes for mothers. The framework that guides this approach is one that focuses on antecedents, mediators and effects. This dissertation gives attention to the ways in which preexisting personal variables such as traumas and adversities, and present-day variables such as, race, age and marital status relate to mother outcomes. Specifically, I investigate how the experience of childhood adversities may impact the adult social economic, mental health and health outcomes of mothers.;There is evidence that a history of prior physical and sexual abuse predicts poverty, income stability, increased depression, health problems who parent as adults (Kendler, Bulik, Silberg, Hettema et. al 2000). This multivariate approach may help determine if different constellations of childhood adversity and subsequent adult trauma are associated with poverty, mental health and health of mothers.;1 According to the Justice Department, one in two rape victims are under age 18; one in six is under age 12. [Child Rape Victims, 1992. U.S. Department of Justice]. |
