Adolescent mothers and their children: changes in maternal characteristics and child developmental and behavioral outcome at school age

Abstract

This study examines stability and change in characteristics of adolescent mothers from their child's infancy to school age, describes cognitive and behavioral characteristics of their children at school age, and reports on the relationship between maternal characteristics and child behavior and development at school age. Cognitive status and childrearing attitudes were assessed in 43 adolescent mothers (mean age 16.3 years) when their children were infants (Time 1) and again when children were school age (Time 2). At school age, mothers also completed the Louisville Behavior Checklist, and children were administered the Slosson Intelligence Test and the Wide Range Achievement Test. Significant correlations were obtained between maternal measures at Time 1 and Time 2, and no significant differences were observed between mean scores at Time 1 and Time 2 on any measures. Children demonstrated average intelligence, but mean achievement was almost 1 SD below average. Significantly more children had high scores than expected on scales for hyperactivity and academic disability. Except for maternal vocabulary, maternal measures obtained at Time 1 were not directly related to children's IQ or behavior problems. Maternal vocabulary and authoritarian and hostile childrearing attitudes assessed at Time 1 contributed independently to prediction of achievement test scores in a positive direction. Mothers' vocabulary at Time 2 and high or increased hostile childrearing attitudes contributed positively to prediction of child IQ. Mothers who still had high scores in authoritarian childrearing attitudes or whose scores increased had children with lower IQs. Changes in attitudes or contemporary measures of attitudes were also related to behavior problems at school age.

PIP: This study examines the stability of childrearing attitudes of adolescent mothers during the period of their children's infancy to school age. The study provides a description of children's development and behavior at school age and assesses the relationship between maternal attitudes and cognitive intelligence and child development. The study population includes 41 adolescent mothers and their 42 first-born children who were recruited from clinics and nurseries at the University of Colorado Hospital. The follow-up group includes 43 participating and 26 nonparticipating families. Mothers were administered the Shipley Hartford Institute of Living Scale, the Parent Attitude Research Instrument, the Authoritarian Family Ideology Scale, and the Louisville Behavior Checklist. Children were administered the Slossom Intelligence Test and the Wide Range Achievement Test. Findings indicated that children aged 5-8 years had average intelligence but scored 1 standard deviation below the average. These scores were similar to scores among children of older low-income mothers. Maternal vocabulary, hostile childrearing attitudes, and controlling attitudes had significant first-order correlations with child outcome measures. Higher maternal vocabulary was associated with higher child intelligence. Predictors in the stepwise multiple regression included maternal vocabulary, authoritarian attitudes, hostile childrearing attitudes, and controlling attitudes. Higher authoritarian, controlling, and hostile attitudes in infancy predicted better achievement. At Time 2 (school age), the best maternal predictors of intelligence, but not achievement, were maternal vocabulary and education. Controlling attitudes or increases in controlling attitudes were now associated with antisocial behavior and inhibition. Children's achievement was associated with maternal characteristics at infancy only. The small sample size makes findings tentative.