Supporting MAMI Project

Publications

Jahromi, L. B., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., Zeiders, K. H. (in press). Trajectories of developmental functioning among children of adolescent mothers: Factors associated with risk for delay. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disability.

Children of adolescent mothers are at risk for developmental delays.  Less is known about the heterogeneity in these children’s developmental trajectories, and factors associated with different patterns of development.  This longitudinal study used latent class growth analysis (LCGA) to identify distinct trajectories in children of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (N = 204).  Three distinct groups emerged: (1) a Delayed/Decreasing Functioning group, (2) an At-Risk/Recovering Functioning group, and (3) a Normative/Relatively Stable Functioning group.   Children with Delayed/Decreasing Functioning were more likely those with Normative/Relatively Stable Functioning to have families with lower income, fewer learning materials at home, and adolescent mothers with more depressive symptoms and greater co-parental conflict with mothers.  The results contribute to knowledge about factors associated with risk of delay.

Seay, D. Jahromi, L. B., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Updegraff, K. A. (in press). Intergenerational transmission of maladaptive parenting in families of adolescent mothers: Effects from grandmothers to young children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. doi:10.1007/s10802-015-0091-y [PMID: 26521948]

The current longitudinal study examined the effect of the transmission of maladaptive parenting strategies from grandmothers to adolescent mothers on children's subsequent development. Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (N = 204) participated in home interviews when the adolescent's child (89 boys, 60 girls) was 2, 3, 4, and 5 years old. Grandmothers' psychological control toward the adolescent mother was positively related to adolescents' potential for abuse 1 year later, which was subsequently positively related to adolescents' punitive discipline toward their young child. In addition, adolescent mothers' punitive discipline subsequently predicted greater externalizing problems and less committed compliance among their children. Adolescent mothers' potential for abuse and punitive discipline mediated the effects of grandmothers' psychological control on children's externalizing problems. Finally, adolescent mothers' potential for abuse mediated the effect of grandmothers' psychological control on adolescent mothers' punitive discipline. Results highlight the salience of long-term intergenerational effects of maladaptive parenting on children's behavior.

Derlan, C. L., Umaña-Taylor, Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. (in press). Mothers’ characteristics as predictors of adolescents’ ethnic-racial identity: An examination of Mexican-origin teen mothers. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. doi:10.1037/cdp0000072 [PMID: 26479173]

Objective: The current longitudinal study examined Mexican-origin mothers' cultural characteristics and ethnic socialization efforts as predictors of their adolescent daughters' ethnic-racial identity (ERI) exploration, resolution, and affirmation.

Method: Participants were 193 Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (M age = 16.78 years; SD = .98) and their mothers (M age = 41.24 years; SD = 7.11).

Results: Findings indicated that mothers' familism values and ERI exploration were positively associated with mother-reported ethnic socialization efforts 1 year later. Furthermore, mothers' ERI affirmation was a significant positive predictor of adolescents' ERI affirmation 2 years later, accounting for adolescents' ERI affirmation 1 year earlier.

Conclusion: Discussion emphasizes the significance of ERI development among adolescent mothers who are negotiating the normative development of ERI and faced with their new role as parents and cultural socializers of their young children.

Bravo, D.Y., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Zeiders, K.H., Updegraff, K.A., & Jahromi, L.B. (in press). Incongruent teen pregnancy attitudes, coparenting conflict, and support among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Journal of Marriage and Family.

The current longitudinal study examined whether differences between Mexican-origin adolescent mothers and their mother figures (N = 204 dyads) in attitudes on the status attained through teen pregnancy were associated with conflict in their coparenting relationship and whether coparenting conflict was associated with adolescent mothers' perceptions of social support. Findings revealed that when adolescents held more positive attitudes than their mother figures about the status gained through teen pregnancy, they tended to report greater coparenting conflict with their mother figures. Furthermore, greater coparenting conflict was significantly associated with decreases in adolescents' perceptions of social support (i.e., emotional, instrumental, companion support) 1 year later. Findings underscore the importance of incongruent attitudes and the quality of coparenting relationships between adolescent mothers and their mother figures in relation to support processes. Findings are discussed with respect to understanding Mexican-origin adolescent mothers' social support in the context of family subsystem attitudes and interactions.

Bravo, D., Toomey, R. B., & Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. J. (in press). Growth trajectories of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ educational expectations. International Journal of Behavioral Development doi:10.1177/0165025415616199

Pregnant and parenting adolescents are at significant risk for educational underachievement. Educational expectations play a critical role for understanding subsequent educational attainment; yet, limited empirical attention has been given to changes in educational expectations across the transition to parenthood among adolescent mothers. This longitudinal study explored stability and change in educational expectations across the transition to parenthood among 191 first-time pregnant Mexican-origin adolescents (M age = 16.76, SD = .98). The current study also examined how several contextually relevant risk and protective factors were associated with differential patterns of educational trajectories across this transition and subsequent educational attainment. Latent class growth analyses revealed three educational expectation trajectories: low and stable (< high-school degree), moderate and increasing (≈ associate degree), and high and increasing (≈ bachelor’s degree). Adolescent mothers in the low and stable group encountered several educational risk factors that partially explained their probability of membership in this trajectory and subsequent lower attainment. Conversely, probability of membership in the high and increasing expectations class was partially explained by adolescents’ on-track school status at the time of pregnancy and their mother figures’ educational expectations for their pregnant daughters. These findings have implications for understanding the malleable factors that help to explain why some adolescent mothers describe consistently high educational expectations and subsequent higher attainment, while others do not.

Killoren, S., Zeiders, K. H., Updegraff, K. A., & Umaña-Taylor, A. J. (in press). The sociocultural context of Mexican-origin pregnant adolescents’ attitudes toward teen pregnancy and links to future outcomes. Journal of Youth & Adolescence doi:10.1007/s10964-015-0387-9 [PMID: 26573862]

Given the negative developmental risks associated with adolescent motherhood, it is important to examine the sociocultural context of adolescent mothers’ lives to identify those most at risk for poor outcomes. Our goals were to identify profiles of Mexican-origin pregnant adolescents’ cultural orientations and their attitudes toward teen pregnancy, and to investigate how these profiles were linked to adolescents’ pregnancy intentions, family resources, and short-term family, educational, and parenting outcomes. With a sample of 205 Mexican-origin adolescent mothers, we identified three profiles based on cultural orientations and attitudes toward teen pregnancy: Bicultural-Moderate Attitudes, Acculturated-Moderate Attitudes, and Enculturated-Low Attitudes. The results indicated that enculturated pregnant adolescents had the least favorable attitudes toward teen pregnancy, and the lowest levels of family income, pregnancy intentions, pregnancy support, and educational expectations compared to acculturated and bicultural pregnant adolescents; acculturated adolescents (with the highest family income and high levels of pregnancy support) had the highest levels of parenting efficacy 10 months postpartum. Our findings suggest that enculturated adolescent mothers (with less positive attitudes toward teen pregnancy) may benefit from educational support programs and enculturated and bicultural adolescent mothers (with moderately positive attitudes toward teen pregnancy) may benefit from programs to increase parenting efficacy. Such targeted interventions may, in turn, reduce the likelihood of adolescent mothers experiencing negative educational and parenting outcomes.

Umaña-Taylor, A.J., Updegraff, K. A., Jahromi, L. B., & Zeiders, K. H. (2015). Trajectories of ethnic-racial identity and autonomy development among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers in the United States. Child Development, 86, 2034-2050. doi:10.1111/cdev.12444 [PMID: 26450526]

This study examined trajectories of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and autonomy development among Mexican-origin adolescent females in the United States (N = 181; Mage at Wave 1 = 16.80 years, SD = 1.00) as they transitioned through the first 5 years of parenthood. Trajectories of ERI and autonomy also were examined in relation to psychosocial functioning. Unconditional latent growth models indicated significant growth in autonomy, ERI resolution, and ERI affirmation from middle to late adolescence. Conditional latent growth models indicated that autonomy and ERI exploration growth trajectories were positively associated with psychosocial adjustment. Although adolescent mothers are experiencing transitions that are not normative during adolescence, they also engage in normative developmental processes, and their engagement in such processes is linked with better adjustment.

Zeiders, K. H., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2015). An idiographic and nomothetic approach to the study of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ sociocultural stressors and adjustment. Prevention Science, 16, 386-396. doi:10.1007/s11121-014-0502-2. [PMID: 25099084]

The current study examined the longitudinal relations of socio-cultural stressors (i.e., acculturative stressors, enculturative stressors, ethnic discrimination) and Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ depressive symptoms and risk taking behaviors. Utilizing an idiographic and nomothetic approach, we conducted lagged analyses to examine how individuals’ fluctuations in stressors predicted subsequent adjustment. Further, we investigated potential threshold effects by examining if the impact of fluctuations in stressors differed at varying levels of stressors. Mexican-origin adolescent females (N=184) participated in yearly in-home assessments across 5 years and reported on their experiences of acculturative and enculturative stressors, ethnic discrimination, depressive symptoms, and risk-taking behaviors. Findings revealed that within-person fluctuations in acculturative stressors and, to a lesser extent, perceived discrimination related to youths’ depressive symptoms. For risk-taking behaviors, however, only within-person fluctuations in enculturative stressors emerged as significant. Further, a threshold effect emerged in the link between enculturative stressors and risk-taking behaviors, suggesting that fluctuations in enculturative stressors predicted changes in risk taking behaviors at high levels of enculturative stressors but not low levels. Our findings highlight the differential relations between socio-cultural stressors and adolescent females’ adjustment and suggest that prevention programs aimed at reducing depressive symptoms should attend to any degree of change in socio-cultural stressors, whereas programs focused on risk-taking behaviors should be especially attuned to levels of enculturative stress.

Zeiders, K. H., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2015). Acculturative and enculturative stress, depressive symptoms, and maternal warmth: Examining within-person relations among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Development & Psychopathology, 27, 293-308. doi:10.1017/S0954579414000637. [PMID: 25004391]

Mexican-origin adolescent mothers face numerous social challenges during dual-cultural adaptation that are theorized to contribute to greater depressive symptoms. Alongside challenges, there are familial resources that may offer protection. As such, the current study examined the trajectories of depressive symptoms among 204 Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (M age = 16.80, SD = 1.00) across a 4-year period (third trimester of pregnancy, and 10, 24, and 36 months postpartum). Further, we examined the within-person relations of two unique sources of stress experienced during dual-cultural adaptation, acculturative and enculturative stress, and youths' depressive symptoms; we also tested whether adolescent mothers' perceptions of warmth from their own mothers emerged as protective. Adolescent mothers reported a decline in depressive symptoms after the transition to parenthood. Acculturative and enculturative stress emerged as significant positive within-person predictors of depressive symptoms. Maternal warmth emerged as a protective factor in the relation between enculturative stressors and depressive symptoms; however, for acculturative stressors, the protective effect of maternal warmth only emerged for US-born youth. Findings illustrate the multidimensionality of stress experienced during the cultural adaptation process and a potential mechanism for resilience among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers.

Derlan, C. L., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Toomey, R. B., Updegraff, K. A., Jahromi, L. B. (2015). Person-environment fit: Everyday conflict and coparenting conflict in Mexican-origin teen mother families. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21, 136-145.doi:10.1037/a0037069. [PMID: 25111551]

The current study examined whether a match or mismatch between teen mothers’ cultural orientation and the cultural context of the family (i.e., familial ethnic socialization) predicted mother-daughter everyday and coparenting conflict, and in turn, teen mothers’ adjustment. Participants were 204 Mexican-origin teen mothers (M age = 16.81 years; SD = 1.00). Consistent with a person-environment fit perspective, findings indicated that a mismatch between teen mothers’ cultural orientation (i.e., high mainstream cultural involvement) and the cultural context of the family (i.e., higher levels of familial ethnic socialization) predicted greater mother-daughter everyday conflict and coparenting conflict one year later. However, when there was a match (i.e., high levels of familial ethnic socialization for teen mothers with high Mexican orientation), familial ethnic socialization was not associated with mother-daughter conflict. In addition, mother-daughter conflict was positively associated with depressive symptoms and engagement in risky behaviors one year later among all teen mothers.

Zeiders, K. H., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Jahromi, L. B., Updegraff, K. A. (2015). Grandmothers’ familism values, adolescent mothers’ parenting efficacy, and children’s social competence. Journal of Family Psychology, 29, 624-634. doi:10.1037/fam0000103[PMID: 26075734]

The current study examined intergenerational processes related to familism values among grandmothers, adolescent mothers, and their children. Mexican-origin families (N = 180) participated in in-home interviews during adolescent mothers' third trimester of pregnancy and 10-, 24-, 48-, and 60-months postpartum. Using longitudinal path analyses, we linked grandmothers' familism values and behaviors to adolescent mothers' parenting processes and, in turn, their child's well-being, taking into account developmentally relevant needs of adolescent mothers. Results revealed that grandmothers' familism values before the birth of the baby predicted child-rearing support and communication within the grandmother-adolescent mother dyad after the birth of the baby. Support, but not communication, was in turn predictive of adolescent mothers' parenting self-efficacy, but only at high levels of autonomy granting within the grandmother-adolescent mother dyad. Finally, adolescent mothers' parenting self-efficacy predicted children's greater social competence (48 months old), which in turn, predicted greater academic functioning (60 months old). Our findings shed light on the behavioral correlates of familism values within Mexican-origin families with adolescent mothers and highlight the need to consider factors that are developmentally salient (e.g., autonomy) when understanding how familism behaviors benefit adolescent mothers and their children.

Toomey, R. B., Updegraff, K. A., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Jahromi, L. B. (2015). Gender role attitudes across the transition to adolescent motherhood in Mexican-origin families. Family Process, 54, 247-262. doi:10.1111/famp.12127. [PMID: 25615441]

Using longitudinal data collected at four time points from 191 dyads of Mexican-origin adolescent first-time mothers and their mother figures, we examined changes in and socialization of traditional gender role attitudes across the transition to parenthood using latent growth curve modeling (LGC) modeling and actor-partner interdependence modeling (APIM). Person-centered analyses indicated that adolescent mothers’, regardless of nativity status, and their foreign-born mother figures’ gender role attitudes became more egalitarian across adolescents’ transition to parenthood, spanning form the 3rd trimester of pregnancy to 36 months postpartum. Further, variable-centered analyses suggested that adolescents’ and their mother figures’ gender role attitudes during adolescents’ third trimester of pregnancy equally contributed to subsequent increases in one another’s gender role attitudes at 10 months postpartum. Importantly, this reciprocal socialization process was not moderated by adolescent mothers’ nor by their mother’ figures’ nativity status. Findings suggest that it is important to understand the cultural and intergenerational family processes that contribute to the development of gender role attitudes during the transition to parenthood for adolescent mothers and their mother figures in Mexican-origin families.

Perez-Brena, N., Updegraff, K. A., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Jahromi, L. B., & Guimond, A. B. (2015). Coparenting profiles in the context of Mexican-origin teen pregnancy: Links to mother-daughter relationship quality and adjustment. Family Process, 54, 263-279. doi:10.1111/famp.12115. [PMID: 25438748]

The current study explored the multifaceted nature of the mother-adolescent co-parental relationship with data from 172 Mexican American adolescent mothers and their own mothers at ten months post-childbirth. Profiles of mother-adolescent co-parenting were created using adolescents’ reports of three dimensions of co-parenting (communication, involvement and conflict) with the use of latent profile analysis. Four profiles were identified: (a) Harmonious Co-Parents (equal involvement, high communication, low conflict); (b) Harmonious-Adolescent Primary (adolescent is more involved than mother, high communication, low conflict); (c) Conflictual Co-Parents (equal involvement, high communication, high conflict); and (d) Conflictual-Adolescent Primary (Adolescent is more involved than mother, moderate communication, high conflict). Next, predictors and outcomes of profile membership were explored. Mother-daughter conflict and psychological control prior to childbirth were associated with profile membership after childbirth. Specifically, adolescent girls and mothers who belonged in the Conflictual Co-Parents profile reported the least positive mother-daughter relationship qualities prenatally. In addition, adolescents’ and mothers’ depressive symptoms and parental self-efficacy after childbirth were linked to profile membership, such that the Harmonious-Adolescent Primary profile reported the most positive adjustment patterns and profiles with high co-parental conflict (i.e., Conflictual Co-Parenting and Conflictual-Adolescent Primary profiles) showed the least positive adjustment patterns. Discussion considers the implications of mother-daughter co-parenting for families of adolescent mothers in the early years of parenting. 

Toomey, R. B., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2014). Trajectories of problem behavior among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 3, 1-10. doi:10.1037/lat0000028. [PMID: 25893152]

Engagement in problem behaviors during adolescence has important implications for academic achievement and psychosocial well-being. The current study examined engagement in problem behavior across the transition from pregnancy to parenthood among a sample of 204 Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (ages 15-18 years; Mage = 16.8 at Time 1) to better understand the behaviors in which this sample engaged, how engagement changed over this period of transition, and what risk and protective factors were associated with reduced or enhanced risk. Descriptively, this sample engaged in relatively low levels of problem behaviors.  Further, latent growth curve modeling revealed that engagement in problem behaviors decreased initially from the third trimester of pregnancy to 10 months postpartum, but increased slightly between 36 and 48 months postpartum. Higher levels of mother-daughter conflict, acculturative stress, and perceived ethnic discrimination were associated with higher initial levels of adolescent mothers’ engagement in problem behaviors, whereas higher levels of ethnic identity affirmation predicted fewer problem behaviors. Importantly, higher levels of perceived ethnic discrimination were associated with a sharper increase in problem behavior by adolescent mothers between 36 and 48 months postpartum. Findings suggest a need to consider family relationships and minority-status risk and protective factors when understanding change in problem behaviors among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers across the transition to parenthood.

Derlan, C. L., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Toomey, R. B., Updegraff, K. A., Jahromi, L. B., & Flores, L. I. (2014). Perceived discrimination and ethnic affirmation: Anglo culture orientation as a moderator among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers.  Child Development, 85, 1357-1365. doi:10.1111/cdev.12191. [PMID: 24308319]

The current study examined whether Anglo culture orientation modified the association between adolescents’ perceived ethnic discrimination and ethnic identity affirmation over time in a sample of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (N = 205, M age = 16.24 years). Results indicated that perceived ethnic discrimination was significantly associated with decreases in ethnic identity affirmation over time for adolescents reporting high Anglo culture orientation, but no relation existed for adolescents reporting low Anglo culture orientation. Findings suggest that a person-environment mismatch (i.e., between adolescents’ perceptions of their connection to Anglo culture and the messages they receive from others regarding that connection in terms of perceived ethnic discrimination) may be detrimental to adolescents’ development of positive feelings about their ethnicity.

Bravo, D. Y., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Guimond, A. B., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2014). Familism, family ethnic socialization, and Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ educational adjustment. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20, 389-400. doi:10.1037/a0036527. [PMID: 25045950]

The current longitudinal study examined how familism values and family ethnic socialization contributed to Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ (N = 205) educational adjustment (i.e., educational expectations, educational utility), and whether these associations may be moderated by adolescent mothers’ ethnic centrality. Findings showed that adolescent mothers’ reports of familism values and family ethnic socialization were positively associated with their beliefs about educational utility, but not educational expectations. Ethnic centrality moderated the association between adolescent mothers’ familism values and educational utility, such that adolescent mothers’ endorsement of familism values during pregnancy were associated with significant increases in educational utility after their transition to parenthood, but only when adolescents reported high levels of ethnic centrality. Moreover, ethnic centrality directly predicted adolescent mothers’ educational expectations. Results highlight the importance of family and ethnic centrality for promoting Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ educational outcomes. Findings are discussed with respect to understanding adolescent mothers’ educational adjustment outcomes in the context of family and culture. 

Toomey, R. B., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Williams, D., Harvey-Mendoza, E. C., Jahromi, L. B., & Updegraff, K. A. (2014). Impact of Arizona's S.B. 1070 immigration law on utilization of health care and public assistance among Mexican-origin teen mothers and their mother figures. American Journal of Public Health, 104 (S1), S28-S34. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301655. [PMID: 24354823]

Objectives: We examined the impact of Arizona’s “Supporting Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” (SB 1070, enacted July 29, 2010) on the utilization of preventive health care and public assistance among Mexican-origin families.

Methods: Data came from 142 adolescent mothers and 137 mother figures who participated in a quasi-experimental, ongoing longitudinal study of the health and development of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers and their infants (4 waves; March 2007–December 2011). We used general estimating equations to determine whether utilization of preventive health care and public assistance differed before versus after SB 1070’s enactment.

Results: Adolescents reported declines in use of public assistance and were less likely to take their baby to the doctor; compared with older adolescents, younger adolescents were less likely to use preventive health care after SB 1070. Mother figures were less likely to use public assistance after SB 1070 if they were born in the United States and if their post–SB 1070 interview was closer to the law’s enactment.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that immigration policies such as SB 1070 may contribute to decreases in use of preventive health care and public assistance among high-risk populations.

Jahromi, L. B., Guimond, A. B., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Toomey, R. B. (2014). Family context, Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ parenting knowledge, and children’s subsequent developmental outcomes. Child Development, 85(2), 593-609. doi:10.1111/cdev.12160. [PMID: 24004448]

This study examined parenting knowledge among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (N = 191), family contextual factors associated with adolescents’ parenting knowledge, and toddlers’ subsequent developmental outcomes.  Data came from home interviews and direct child assessments.  Adolescents both under- and over-estimated children’s developmental timing, and showed differences in their knowledge concerning specific child development domains. Instrumental support from mother figures was positively linked to adolescents’ knowledge accuracy, whereas emotional support was negatively related to adolescents’ knowledge confidence.  Furthermore, whereas mother figures’ autonomy-granting was positively linked to knowledge confidence, psychological control from mother figures was associated with less accurate adolescent parenting knowledge.  Toddlers of adolescents with more accurate knowledge showed positive developmental functioning at age two. Intervention implications for adolescent mothers are discussed.

Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Guimond, A. B., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. (2013). A longitudinal examination of support, self-esteem, and Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ parenting efficacy. Journal of Marriage and Family, 75 (3), 746-759. doi:10.1111/jomf.12019. [PMID: 24244049]

Guided by a risk and resilience framework, this study used a prospective longitudinal, multiple-reporter design to examine how social support from a mother figure during pregnancy interacted with Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ self-esteem to inform their parenting efficacy when their children were 10 months old. Using reports of perceived social support by adolescent mothers (Mage = 16.24, SD = .99) and their mother figures (Mage = 40.84, SD = 7.04) in 205 dyads, and controlling for demographic factors (i.e., adolescent age, adolescent nativity, family income, mothers’ educational attainment, adolescent-mother coresidence) and adolescents’ social support from a significant other, findings indicated that social support during pregnancy was positively associated with adolescent mothers’ future parenting efficacy when adolescent mothers had relatively lower self-esteem. Findings were consistent for adolescents’ and mothers’ reports, and emphasize the value of social support from a mother figure among adolescent mothers with lower self-esteem. Implications for interventions are presented.

Toomey, R. B., Umaña -Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2013). Ethnic identity development and ethnic discrimination: Examining longitudinal associations with adjustment for Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Journal of Adolescence, 36, 825 - 833. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.06.004. [PMID: 24011098]

Few studies examine normative developmental processes among teenage mothers. Framed from a risk and resilience perspective, this prospective study examined the potential for ethnic identity status (e.g., diffuse, achieved), a normative developmental task during adolescence, to buffer the detrimental effects of discrimination on later adjustment and self-esteem in a sample of 204 Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Ethnic discrimination was associated with increases in depressive symptoms and decreases in self-esteem over time, regardless of ethnic identity status. However, ethnic discrimination was only associated with increases in engagement in risky behavior among diffuse adolescents, suggesting that achieved or foreclosed identities buffered the risk of ethnic discrimination on later risky behavior. Findings suggest that ethnic identity resolution (i.e., the component shared by those in foreclosed and achieved statuses) may be a key cultural factor to include in prevention and intervention efforts aimed to reduce the negative effects of ethnic discrimination on later externalizing problems.

Toomey, R. B., Umaña -Taylor, A. J., Jahromi, L. B., & Updegraff, K. A. (2013). Measuring social support from mother-figures in the transition from pregnancy to parenthood among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 35, 194-212. doi:10.1177/0739986312470636. [PMID: 23729988]

Social support for adolescent mothers, particularly from mother figures, can buffer risks and promote well-being. To date, no longitudinal research has investigated how the dimensions of social support may change during the transition from pregnancy to parenthood for adolescent mothers. This study examined stability and change in dimensions of social support from the third trimester of pregnancy to two years postpartum among 191 dyads of Mexican-origin adolescent first-time mothers and their mother figures. Perceptions of social support received from a mother figure shifted from a single dimension (i.e., global support) to three distinct factors (instrumental, emotional, and companionship support) during this transition; however, social support provision as reported by mother figures remained stable. Measurement equivalence was established across interview language (English and Spanish) and across two time points postpartum. Bivariate correlations provided support for the convergent and divergent validity of these measures. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Updegraff, K. A., Perez-Brena, N., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Jahromi, L. B., & Harvey-Mendoza, E. (2013). Mothers’ trajectories of depressive symptoms across Mexican-origin adolescent daughters’ transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 27 (3), 376-386.  doi:10.1037/a0032909. [PMID: 23750520]

This study draws from a life-course perspective in examining trajectories of mothers’ depressive symptoms across their adolescent daughters’ transition to parenthood in 204 Mexican-origin families using latent class growth analysis. Four distinct trajectories were identified based on mothers’ depressive symptoms prior to the birth and 10 and 24 months postpartum. Two trajectories were characterized by stable levels of depressive symptoms but were differentiated in their levels of symptoms (i.e., High/Stable and Low/Stable). The remaining two trajectories were characterized by changes from pre- to post-birth, with one group exhibiting increases in depressive symptoms (i.e., Low/Post-Birth Increase) and the other group characterized by decreases in depressive symptoms (i.e., Low/Post-Birth Decrease). Consistent with a risk and resilience perspective, mothers with more disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances and fewer intrapersonal resources (i.e., self-esteem, ethnic identity affirmation) were more likely to be members of the High/Stable group. In addition, daughters of mothers in the High/Stable group were more likely to have lower self-esteem as compared to daughters in the other three groups. Collectively, these findings suggested that the High/Stable group was at risk for adjustment difficulties during and after the transition to adolescent parenthood. In contrast, membership in the Low/Post-Birth Decrease trajectory group was associated with lower depressive symptoms and higher self-esteem for mothers and daughters. Findings point to the need to identify mothers who are at risk for depressive symptoms during their adolescent daughters’ pregnancy and offer prevention and intervention programs that reduce risks and enhance protective factors. 

Jahromi, L. B., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., Lara, E. E. (2012). Birth characteristics and developmental outcomes of infants of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers: Risk and promotive factors. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 32, 146-156.  doi:10.1177/0165025411430777. [PMID: 22723720]

Infants of adolescent mothers are at increased risk for negative developmental outcomes. Given the high rate of pregnancy among Mexican-origin adolescent females in the US, the present study examined health characteristics at birth and developmental functioning at 10 months of age in a sample of 205 infants of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Infants were relatively healthy at birth and had near average developmental functioning at 10 months. The educational attainment of adolescents and their mothers, and infants’ temperamental regulation, promoted positive developmental functioning, while the combination of low adolescent parental self-efficacy and high infant temperamental negativity was associated with greater developmental delay. Findings are discussed with respect to implications for prevention with this at-risk population of mothers and infants.

Updegraff, K. A., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Perez-Brena, N., & Pflieger, J. (2012). Mother-daughter conflict and adjustment in Mexican-origin families: Exploring the role of family and sociocultural context. New Directions in Child and Adolescent Development, 135, 59-89. doi:10.1002/cd.20004. [PMID: 22407882]

This study examined the role of mother-daughter conflict in both mothers’ and daughters’ adjustment. Drawing from ecologically oriented and person-environment fit models, we investigated how the family context, as defined by the transition to adolescent motherhood, and the sociocultural context, as measured by mother-daughter discrepancies in cultural orientations, shaped the associations between conflict and adjustment in Mexican-origin families. Overall, conflict was positively related to mothers’ and adolescents’ depressive symptoms and adolescents’ risky behaviors. This relation was strongest when daughters were more Mexican-oriented than their mothers, and weakest when mothers were more Mexican-oriented than their daughters.

Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., White, R. M. B., Herzog, M., Pflieger, J., & Madden-Derdich, D. (2011). Developing and testing a measure of social support with Mexican-origin pregnant adolescents and their mother figures. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 33, 377-397. doi:10.1177/0739986311412930.

The current study describes the development and psychometric testing of the Global Support from Mother Figure during Pregnancy scale (GSMF-P). The measure was developed in both Spanish and English to assess social support provided to adolescents during their pregnancies. The current study examined the reliability, cross-language equivalence, and validity of the scale with a sample of 207 pregnant, Mexican-origin adolescents (M age = 16.2, SD = .98) and their mother figures (M age = 40.9, SD = 7.01). The scale demonstrated strong internal consistency across reporters and language versions. Furthermore, findings provided support for the measurement equivalence of the English and Spanish versions. Finally, all construct validity hypotheses were supported, providing initial evidence that the GSMF-P appears to be assessing the construct of mother figure social support from both adolescents’ and mother figures’ perspectives.

Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Gonzales-Backen, M. A. (2011). Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ stressors and psychosocial functioning: Examining ethnic identity affirmation and familism as moderators. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 140-157. doi:10.1007/s10964-010-9511-z. [PMID: 20148359]

Mexican-origin adolescent mothers are at increased risk for poor psychosocial functioning as a result of various stressors with which they must contend; however, existing theory suggests that cultural strengths may help mitigate the negative effects of stress. As such, the current study examined the associations between cultural and economic stressors and Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ (N = 207; M age = 16.23 years, SD = 1.0) internalizing and externalizing behaviors, as well as the degree to which ethnic identity affirmation and familism values moderated these links. Adolescent mothers who reported higher levels of discrimination, acculturative stress, and economic stress also reported higher depressive symptoms and greater involvement in risky behaviors. Importantly, ethnic identity affirmation minimized the negative associations between cultural stressors and adolescents’ involvement in risky behaviors, with the associations being weakest among adolescents with high levels of ethnic identity. Familism appeared to serve a protective function under conditions of low levels of discrimination, but not under conditions of high levels of discrimination. Findings are discussed with special attention to the developmental and cultural contexts in which these adolescent mothers’ lives are embedded, and implications for future research and practice are presented.