Family and community support of urban pregnant students: Support person, function, and parity

Family and community support resources available to 200 primiparous and 44 multiparous pregnant students were examined. All pregnant students included in the study were unmarried, African American, and enrolled in urban public high schools of a large midwestern city from 1986 to 1989. Results showed that (a) support persons in the family system were mentioned more frequently than those in the community system in all support functions and by all pregnant students; (b) at least two thirds of all available support involved the baby's father and the student's mother, but their support functions differed; and (c) parity tended to be related to the interplay between the support person and the support function. Health professionals must identify appropriate support persons for the pregnant student and include them in the care process.