Intergenerational Attachment and Executive Functioning and the Development of Young Children of Adolescent Mothers



 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The negative consequences of teen parenting are well documented and the associated costs to society exceed $9 billion annually. Children born to teen mothers tend to experience less responsive and supportive parenting and are at heightened risk for a range of social, developmental, and health issues. There is literature to support the positive impact of grandmothers on teen parents and their children. Further, government subsistence programs require that unwed teen parents live with a responsible adult, typically the teen mother's biological mother. But what if the teen's biological mother is also limited in her parenting capacities? How does the impact of limited parenting capacities across these two generations of mothers affect the developing child? This study will examine two important aspects of parenting capacities in teen mothers (TM) and their co- residing mothers (the grandmother; GM) on the young developing child: (1) attachment quality (i.e. parent's ability to form deep, empathic connections to another person) and (2) executive functioning (i.e. parent's ability to organize, plan, multitask, and exhibit self-control). These relational and cognitive capacities are essential components of effective parenting. However, there is little known about their impact on young children's health, wellbeing, and development in the context of being raised by two generations of parents. Using a cross- sectional, descriptive design, a convenience sample of 50 TM/GM dyads co-residing with their 1-3 year old children will be recruited into the study from an urban clinic serving teen parents and children (95% African American). TMs and GMs will independently complete a paper-and-pencil measure of attachment quality and a computerized series of tasks to measure multiple aspects of EF (working memory, inhibitory control, set shifting); a standardized maternal report screening measure will be used to assess the developmental status of the target child. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression to examine the relative contributions of attachment quality and EF across two generations of mothers (TM and GM) on young children's developmental risk. The proposed research training plan is foundational to a program of study focused on informing innovative three generation interventions tailored to the needs of teen mothers with the goal of improving health outcomes for families of teen mothers. This area of research is well aligned with the National Institute of Nursing Research's (NINR) mission to promote and improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. The proposed research and accompanying training plan will prepare the applicant to begin a career as an independent nurse scientist in parenting and family research.