Premium
African American adolescent mothers and grandmothers: A multigenerational approach to parenting
Author(s) -
Oberlander Sarah E.,
Black Maureen M.,
Starr Raymond H.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-007-9087-2
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , health psychology , competence (human resources) , adolescent development , child rearing , public health , social psychology , medicine , nursing
This study is an adaptation and extension of Apfel and Seitz's ( Family Relations , 40 (4), 421–429, 1991) models of adolescent parenting and adolescent‐grandmother relationships to a sample of 148 African American, first‐time adolescent mothers and their 6‐month‐old infants. The Parental Supplemental model, in which adolescent mothers and grandmothers shared caregiving, described 63% of Apfel and Seitz's (1991) sample and 66% of the current sample. Shared caregiving was not associated with conflict in the adolescent mother–grandmother relationship. Adolescent mothers who had caregiving responsibilities and a supportive adolescent‐grandmother relationship also reported competence in their parenting role. Findings provide support for Apfel and Seitz's Parental Apprentice model, in which young mothers gain competence through direct caregiving experience in the context of a supportive relationship.