School-Age Offspring of Adolescent Mothers: Environments and Outcomes

This research is designed to identify factors contributing to competent parenting by adolescent mothers and optimal outcomes for their school-age children. A sample of 258 firstbom 6and 7year-old children whose mothers were aged 14 through 18 at the time of their children's births were selected for these analyses from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Optimal parenting is found to be influenced by background factors as well as by factors evolving since birth; in turn these factors and parenting influence outcomes for children. These findings can inform the design of intervention programs for adolescent mothers.