Adolescent Mothersʼ Vulnerability to Stress

This study sought to discover situational and individual variables which modify the emotional stress experienced by adolescent mothers. Sixty-four black mothers between 14 and 19 years of age were interviewed. The results of a regression equation showed that the amount of support received by an adolescent mother accounted for the greatest amount of variance in emotional stress. Adolescents who received high levels of support, not only from individuals and institutions but also from their psychological resource of self-esteem, reported lower levels of stress than those mothers who had low levels of support. A third important predictor variable was coping style. Adolescent mothers who used direct action as their method of coping with their problems reported lower levels of stress than did mothers who dealt with the emotional effects of the problem, redefined, or avoided the problem.