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Research on Natural Settings: Observing Adolescent Mothers and Infants throughout the First Postpartum Year

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Abstract

This manuscript aims to present and discuss challenges regarding naturalistic observation of adolescent mothers and their infants throughout the first postpartum year. Case illustrations were the object to discuss methodological options and issues faced during an observational and longitudinal research. The participants live in vulnerability in a metropolitan area in Southern Brazil. Data collection challenges led to reflections about naturalistic observation and methodological procedures, which were affected by setting characteristics and by the need of adapting to them. Most methodological difficulties were linked to naturalistic observations of mothers and their infants. Personal and contextual aspects of these settings must be taken into account in order to enhance result reliability and the knowledge about cultural idiosyncrasies.

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Notes

  1. It is equivalent to a little more than one minimum wage; approximately US$ 39,944.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Eva Diniz

  2. Cep-Rua/Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Eva Diniz & Silvia H. Koller

  3. North-West University, Vanderfijlpark, South Africa

    Silvia H. Koller

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  1. Eva Diniz
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  2. Silvia H. Koller
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Correspondence to Eva Diniz.

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Human and Animal Studies

All ethical rights concerning human and/or animal research were followed according to the Brazilian legislation, as described in the procedures section. Accordingly, all participants signed a consent form to participate in the research.

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Diniz, E., Koller, S.H. Research on Natural Settings: Observing Adolescent Mothers and Infants throughout the First Postpartum Year. Integr. psych. behav. 52, 104–115 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-017-9404-8

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