Relationships of Adolescent Mothers' Perceived Social Support Systems and the Quality and Stimulation in the Home Environment
Abstract
The study examined the relation between maternal social support as measured by the Maternal Social Support Index (MSSI) and the home environment as measured by the Home Observation for Measurement ofthe Environment (HOME) and Child and Home Safety Checklist. Two specific questions were: 1) What is the relationship between an adolescent mother's social support syst,em and her home environment, including responsivity, acceptance, organization, learning materials, involvement, and variety? and 2) What is the relationship between an adolescent mother's social support system and the safety of the home environment? Participants (N=32) were adolescent mothers 18 years of age or younger at the time of conception. The infants were the first child of the participants and were between the ages of six months and two years. The participants must have considered at least one person to be a source of social support for inclusion in the study. Each participant completed a Demographic Interview, a Child and Home Safety Checklist, and the Maternal Social Support Index. The Home Observation for Measurement ofthe Environment was also completed by the researcher while in the home of the participant. The results indicated that adolescent mothers' perceived amount of social support relates positively to the HOME on two subscales: Organization and Learning Materials.
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- OSU Theses [15752]