Parental Stress and Coparenting Among Adolescent Parents

Abstract

Objective This research examines the association of parental stress and coparenting dynamics among adolescent mother and father dyads. The current study also examines potential differences between pregnant and parenting dyads in this association. Background The early transition to parenthood places adolescents at an elevated risk of negative outcomes. Thus, it is important to understand the mechanisms that might place adolescent parents at risk (parental stress) or promote resilience in the transition to parenthood (coparenting dynamics). Methods Using the actor–partner interdependence model, the current study examined how parental stress was associated with coparenting communication and conflict among a sample of 105 predominately Latinx adolescent parent dyads. Results Mothers' reports of parental stress were associated with their own and their coparents' report of coparenting communication and conflict. Fathers' parental stress was only associated with their own coparenting conflict. Further, significant differences were not observed between pregnant and parenting dyads. Conclusion The results highlight the nuanced gender dynamics between adolescent parents and support the idea that coparenting dynamics are similar across the transition to parenthood. Implications These findings suggest that parental stress, especially adolescent mothers' parental stress, has a salient influence on coparenting. Thus, programs and services for adolescent parents might target reducing parental stress to improve coparenting dynamics.

“A Little Bit Closer”: A Mixed Method Analysis of the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lives of Adolescent Parents

“…However, social support has been found to be inversely related to many of these negative outcomes (e.g., Angley et al, 2015;Buzi et al, 2015;Huang et al, 2014;Kim et al, 2014). In fact, social support is vital in buffering against depression (e.g., Buzi et al, 2015;Huang et al, 2014;Meltzer-Brody et al, 2013;Nunes & Phipps, 2013) and parenting stress (Huang et al, 2019;Perez-Brena et al, 2021) for adolescent parents.…”

An Integrative Review of the Research on Teen Mothers’ Resilience

“…Diversity of teen mothers was often limited in individual studies (when demographics were described), but varied across specific studies by race/ethnicity, social class, education, rural/urban, marital status, and country of origin. Studies also included subsamples of nonpregnant teens (Ahorlu et al, 2015), mothers’ cohabiting partners (Perez-Brena et al, 2020), and older mothers for comparison purposes (Salazar-Pousada et al, 2010).…”

“…In the majority of quantitative studies reviewed here, risks were limited to one or two factors. Risks included a maternal history of maltreatment (Bartlett & Easterbrooks, 2015); depressive symptoms (Easterbrooks et al, 2016); confrontational relationships between teen mothers and grandmothers (Hess et al, 2002); and stress (Olajubu et al, 2021; Perez-Brena et al, 2020). The study by Easterbrooks et al (2011) was an exception; this team included multiple risks to determine how teen mothers’ resilience in parenting varied.…”

“…Mothers of teen mothers, other maternal figures, professionals, natural mentors, peers in foster care, and babies' fathers or current partners were sources of support (Bartlett & Easterbrooks, 2015;Bermea et al, 2019;Carey et al, 1998;Easterbrooks et al, 2011Easterbrooks et al, , 2016Hess et al, 2002;Hurd & Zimmerman, 2010;McDermott & Graham, 2005;Mukuna & Aloka, 2021;Perrin & Dorman, 2003;Solivan et al, 2015;Umaña-Taylor et al, 2013). Quantitative researchers operationalized other protective factors with measures of self-esteem (Hess et al, 2002;Umaña-Taylor et al, 2013), maturity (Hess et al, 2002), maternal empathy (Bartlett & Easterbrooks, 2015), paternal engagement (Perez-Brena et al, 2020), and maternal competence in mobilizing resources to cope with pregnancy or parenting (Ahorlu et al, 2015). Like risk factors, the selection of protective factors in any one study was limited with a few exceptions (Bartlett & Easterbrooks, 2015;Easterbrooks et al, 2011;Shpiegel et al, 2020).…”

Babies Having Babies: Incarcerated Adolescent Parents and Their Emotional Well-Being

“…Even still, the consequences associated with adolescent parenthood continue to raise concerns and for good reason. Research finds that adolescent parents face a host of problems: they are more likely to drop out of school, experience greater health problems, have weakened employment prospects, and have increased stress and anxiety (Hoffman, 2008;Patel & Sen, 2012;Perez-Brena et al, 2020;Perper et al, 2010).…”