CHILDREN IN HISPANIC FAMILIES EXPERIENCING A TEEN BIRTH

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究将研究150个西班牙裔家庭在第一次少女怀孕时的情况，并在青少年过渡到养育子女的过程中以紧密间隔的时间纵向跟踪这些家庭。这项研究的重点是家庭中其他孩子或怀孕少女的兄弟姐妹的发展和适应。在怀孕7个月、产后6周、产后6个月和产后12个月时，对150名15-18岁的怀孕少女（n=150）、她们12- 17岁的弟弟妹妹（n=240）和她们的母亲（n=150）进行访谈和问卷调查，以了解在青春期婴儿加入家庭的压力下，家庭动态和儿童发展路径的变化。在产后6个月对40名随机选择的儿童进行定性访谈，以更叙事地了解他们的姐姐分娩后他们的生活发生了怎样的变化。在同一时期，研究人员还将对150名怀孕少女从未怀孕的朋友以及她们12岁至17岁的弟弟妹妹和母亲进行对比研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research will study 150 Hispanic families at the time of the first teenage pregnancy and follow these families longitudinally at closely-spaced intervals across the teenager's transition to parenting. The focus of this research is on the development and adaptations of the other children within the household, or the pregnant teenager's siblings. The pregnant adolescents (n=150, ages 15-18), their 12-to 17-year-old younger siblings (n=240), and their mothers (n=150) will complete interviews and questionnaires when the teen is 7 months pregnant, 6 weeks postpartum, 6 months postpartum and 12 months postpartum to discern how family dynamics and children's developmental paths change under the stress of having an adolescent's infant join the household. Qualitative interviews will be conducted at 6 months postpartum on 40 randomly selected children to discern more narratively how their lives have changed after their sister gave birth. A comparison sample of 150 never-pregnant friends of the pregnant teens will also be studied across the same time period, along with their younger 12- to 17-year-old siblings and their mothers. The goals of this research are: (1) to identify the changes that occur (both immediately and across-time) within families that experience a teenager's birth; (2) to identify the family-level and individual-level factors that contribute to children's stress and maladaptation to these events, and conversely; (3) to identify the individuall level and family-level strengths and competencies that lead to children's successful adaptation to a sister's teenage birth. Outcomes include children's: acting-out problem behaviors (drug and alcohol use, precocious sexuality), internalizing symptomatology, academic motivation, and prosocial behavior. Growth curve models will be used to analyze across-time change and structural equation models will be used to analyze the mediating mechanisms that affect children's outcomes. The major significance of this research is its redress of the lack of knowledge about children's development in families experiencing an adolescent's birth and its ability to inform policy-makers about the salient issues facing children and families as adolescents transition to parenting.