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Life Course Heterogeneity in the Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood Among Adolescent Mothers
Author(s) -
Oxford Monica L.,
Gilchrist Lewayne D.,
Lohr Mary Jane,
Gillmore Mary Rogers,
Morrison Diane M.,
Spieker Susan J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2005.00108.x
Subject(s) - normative , psychology , mental health , life course approach , developmental psychology , young adult , longitudinal study , clinical psychology , latent class model , psychiatry , medicine , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , epistemology , pathology
Longitudinal data were used to examine pathways taken by 227 adolescent mothers during the transition from adolescence into adulthood. Latent profile analysis identified three sub‐groups of adolescent mothers from 6 months to 6 years postpartum: a problem‐prone profile (15%), a psychologically vulnerable profile (42%), and a normative profile (43%). Group membership was related to long‐term adult outcomes (adult status markers, health‐risk and deviant behaviors, substance use, mental health, and intimate relationships) when respondents were nearing age 30. The psychologically vulnerable group reported greater health and mental health problems, relational problems, and substance use than the normative profile group. Only the problem‐prone profile group, taken together, reported serious problems in all domains of adult outcomes examined including financial, relational, behavioral, and health and mental health problems. Results confirm the existence of different pathways through adolescent parenthood that are associated with adult functioning 12 years postpartum.