The aim of this study was to examine patterns of emotional availability among 80 young mothers (under 21 years at their child's birth) and their infants, and to identify contextual and individual factors associated with different patterns of emotional availability. To operationalize the dyadic aspect of emotional availability, cluster analysis of the Emotional Availability Scales, third edition (EAS; Biringen, Robinson, & Emde, 1998) was conducted on mother and infant scales simultaneously. Four distinct groups of emotional availability patterns emerged, reflecting synchrony and asynchrony between maternal and child behavior: (a) low-functioning dyads, (b) average dyads, (c) average parenting/disengaged infants, and (d) high-functioning dyads. Further analyses revealed that mothers in different clusters differed on outcomes such as depressive symptomatology, social support, and relationships with their own mothers. The clusters and the variables related to them demonstrate the various challenges in integrating the dual tasks of adolescent and parenting development among young mothers. The clinical implications of these patterns of emotional availability and live context are discussed.

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OBJECTIVE: To test, with a sample of adolescent mothers (16–20 at childbirth) and their first-born infants/toddlers (average age 1 year), whether the impact of a home visiting (HV) child maltreatment prevention program was moderated by maternal depression. METHODS: The study design was a randomized controlled trial of Healthy Families Massachusetts, a statewide child maltreatment prevention program. A total of 707 first-time mothers were randomly assigned to the HV or control group. The HV group received visits from paraprofessional home visitors. Mothers in the control group were referred to other service providers. The outcome variable consisted of state Child Protective Services reports of child abuse and neglect (mother or other person as perpetrator). Maternal depression was assessed by maternal report (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression questionnaire). RESULTS: A considerable proportion of families had child maltreatment reports (30% of sample) and maternal depression (38% had clinically significant symptoms). Most maltreatment was neglect. Among control group mothers, reports of maltreatment did not vary according to depressive symptoms. For HV mothers, probability of reports varied with levels of depressive symptoms. Nonsymptomatic HV mothers were less likely to have a child who was reported for maltreatment compared with HV mothers who endorsed clinical levels of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of maternal depressive symptoms in this sample, and the link between depression and child maltreatment prevention program effectiveness, suggest that home visitors be alert to maternal depression. Programs also should be aware of possible surveillance effects related to maternal depression.

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