Younger and Older African American Adolescent Mothers’ Relationships with Their Mothers and Female Peers

This study examined differences in younger (ages 14 to 16) and older (ages 17 to 19) African American adolescent mothers’ receipt of maternal and peer support and associations among economic strain, maternal and peer support, maternal problems, and depressive symptomatology. Findings indicate that (a) both younger and older adolescent mothers receive significantly more support from mothers than from peers, (b) higher levels of maternal problems are associated with higher levels of depression for all adolescent mothers, and (c) under conditions of lowmaternal support, younger adolescents appear to be at greater risk for depression when peer support is higher, whereas older adolescents may be at greater risk when peer support is lower. Findings are interpreted within the context of existing research on adolescent parenting and adolescent development. Implications for future research are discussed.