Mother/Pregnant Teen Communication and Depression

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的目的是研究母亲-青少年沟通在缓解洛杉矶县利用妇女婴儿和儿童（WIC）营养和健康计划的低收入墨西哥裔美国怀孕青少年向父母过渡中的作用。尽管事实上墨西哥裔美国青少年怀孕的风险最大，但关于这些家庭讨论怀孕相关问题的方式以及与母亲的沟通是否在青少年产后调整中起到保护作用的研究相对较少。有证据表明，与母亲的支持和开放的关系对青少年的养育和调整有帮助，对交流的观察可以帮助进一步阐明这种关系。这项拟议的研究将检查观察到的母亲与青少年的交流（关于性和怀孕的讨论），因为它可以预测青少年的抑郁、育儿信念、参与育儿和负责任的性行为。对话将根据母亲的沟通方式和对话内容进行编码。怀孕的青少年及其母亲将在产前和分娩后三个月再次接受评估。这项研究将特别关注文化背景和文化适应的作用，因为它可能会影响家庭在敏感问题上的沟通方式，也可能与我们的青春期结果有一定的关系。青少年自主性和母亲社会支持的调节作用也将被审查。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of the study is to examine the role of mother-adolescent communication in easing the transition to parenthood for low-income pregnant Mexican American adolescents who utilize the Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition and health program in Los Angeles County. Despite the fact that Mexican American adolescents are at greatest risk for teen pregnancy, there is relatively little research on the ways in which these families discuss the issues surrounding pregnancy and whether or not communication with mothers serves as a protective factor in the postpartum adjustment of the adolescent. There is evidence to suggest that a supportive and open relationship with mothers can be helpful to adolescents in terms of their parenting and their adjustment, and observations of communication can help to further elucidate this relation. The proposed study will examine observed mother-adolescent communication (discussions about sex and the pregnancy) as it predicts adolescent depression, parenting beliefs, involvement in parenting, and responsible sexual behavior. Conversations will be coded for maternal communication style and the content of the conversations. Pregnant adolescents and their mothers will be assessed prenatally and then again three months after giving birth. The study will pay particular attention to the cultural context and the role of acculturation, as it is likely to affect the ways in which families communicate about sensitive issues and may also have some relationship to our adolescent outcomes. The moderating role of adolescent autonomy and social support from mothers will be also examined.