Time Use of Teen Mothers

Abstract

Although programs exist to support teen parents, little is known about the daily life patterns of teen mothers. This study used a mixed methods approach to examine teen mothers' time allocations and occupational choices. The researchers interviewed and collected experiential time samples from nine teen mothers during a 3-week period. The teen mothers were their children's primary caregivers, had ages ranging from 14 to 20 years, and lived in a rural community. Findings indicated that the teens spent the majority of their time engaged in instrumental activities of daily living that involved caring for their children because of feelings of obligation, performed most of their occupations at home, and spent more time engaged in passive than active leisure occupations. This study has implications for occupational therapy related to teen parenting programs.

Keywords

occupations teen pregnancy time use

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Akinbami

Cheng

, & Kornfeld

(2001). A review of teentot programs: Comprehensive clinical care for young parents and their children. Adolescence, 36, 381–393.

As-Sanie

Gantt

, & Rosenthal

M. S.

(2004). Pregnancy prevention in adolescents. American Family Physician, 70, 1517–1524.

Benson

M. J.

(2004). After the adolescent pregnancy: Parents, teens, and families. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 21, 435–455.

Coughlin

(2005). AAA report on pregnancy in adolescents. American Family Physician, 72, 1398–1399.

Crowe

T. K.

, & Florez

S. I.

(2006). Time use of mothers with school age children: A continuing impact of a child's disability. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 60, 194–203.

Hamilton

B. E.

Martin

J. A.

, & Ventura

S. J.

(2007). Births: Preliminary data for 2006. National Vital Statistics Reports, 56(7), 1–18.

Hanna

(2001). Negotiating motherhood: The struggles of teenage mothers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34, 456–464.

Henshaw

S. K.

(2004). U.S. teenage pregnancy statistics with comparative statistics for women aged 20–24. New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute.

Hofferth

S. L.

, & Reid

(2002). Early childbearing and children's achievement and behavior over time. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 34(1), 41–49.

10.

Kaiser

, & Hays

B. J.

(2005). Health-risk behaviors in a sample of first-time pregnant adolescents. Public Health Nursing, 22, 483–493.

11.

Larson

R. S.

(2001). How US children and adolescents spend time: What it does and doesn't tell us about their development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10, 160–164.

12.

Porterfield

S. L.

, & Winkler

A. E.

(2007). Teen time use and parental education: Evidence from the CPS, MTF, and ATUS. Monthly Labor Review, 130, 37–56.

13.

Sadler

L. S.

, & Cowlin

(2003). Moving into parenthood: A program for new adolescent mothers combining parent education with creative physical activity. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 28, 345–355.

14.

Saewyc

E. M.

Magee

L. L.

, & Pettingell

S. E.

(2004). Teenage pregnancy and associated risk behaviors among sexually abused adolescents. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 36(3), 98–105.