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Parenting and Child Rearing Attitudes of Unmarried Hispanic Teenage Mothers

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Abstract

This study describes the personal characteristics and child rearing attitudes of unmarried, Hispanic teenage mothers and compares their risk for negative parenting attributes associated with child maltreatment. Data were analyzed from 111 participants enrolled in an in-home case management initiative. The Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2 (AAPI-2) was used to assess parenting-related risk on five constructs. Responses for each construct were converted to standardized ‘sten’ scores ranging from 1 to 10. Paired t-tests were utilized to examine mean differences between AAPI-2 construct sten scores, and Pearson’s r correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the strength and direction of construct relationships. Most AAPI-2 constructs were positively inter-correlated. Participants reported highest risk scores for Use of Corporal Punishment, Inappropriate Expectations of Children, and Oppressing Children’s Power and Independence. Findings indicate the need for parenting education programs to offset child maltreatment risk among Hispanic teenage mothers.

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Acknowledgments

This publication was made possible by Grant Number APH PA 006042 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs. The statements and opinions expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department. The authors also acknowledge the dedicated staff of Project Mothers and Schools (PMAS) at The Children’s Shelter for coordinating this initiative, the Family Support Workers for collecting participant data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, The University of Georgia College of Public Health, #101 Hudson Hall, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Matthew Lee Smith

  2. Department of Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences, Texas A&M School of Public Health, Health Science Center , College Station, TX, USA

    Matthew Lee Smith

  3. Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health, Omaha, NE, USA

    Alethea L. Chiappone

  4. Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Kelly L. Wilson

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  1. Matthew Lee Smith
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  2. Alethea L. Chiappone
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Correspondence to Matthew Lee Smith.

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Smith, M.L., Chiappone, A.L. & Wilson, K.L. Parenting and Child Rearing Attitudes of Unmarried Hispanic Teenage Mothers. J Child Fam Stud 26, 643–651 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0582-7

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