Mexican-origin Teen Moms, Their Infants, and Mother Figures: Health & Development

本研究将研究发展，家庭，文化和经济因素如何相互作用，以告知两组儿童的健康和发展，这两组儿童不成比例地面临负面健康结果的风险：墨西哥裔青少年母亲及其幼儿。墨西哥裔少女的出生率是全国最高的，是全国总出生率的两倍多（《2005年国家生命统计报告》）。因为青少年母亲的孩子有更大的风险出现负面结果（Chandra，Schivello，Ravi，Weinstein，& Hook，2002）和青少年母亲的心理社会功能已被确定为儿童健康和发展的预测因子（Carothers，Borkowski，Lefever，&惠特曼，2005），研究青少年母亲的心理社会功能的因素至关重要，他们的养育行为，反过来，他们的孩子的健康和发展。我们建议建立在我们对墨西哥裔青少年母亲、她们的母亲或母亲形象的研究基础上（在我们的研究中称为女性家庭成员; FFM）和他们的婴儿，其中包括从青少年和FFM在青少年怀孕晚期（第1波）收集的数据，以及从青少年母亲，FFM，以及婴儿10个月大时（第2波）和婴儿24个月大时（第3波）。我们建议从参与原始项目的206个家庭（N = 618）中的所有三个家庭成员中收集三个额外的测量点。这项纵向的、多代的研究将捕捉文化、家庭和发展过程和结果，a）从青少年母亲处于青春期中后期（即，15-18岁）至成年初显期（20-23岁），和B）他们的幼儿从婴儿期（即，10个月）到幼儿期（即，5岁）。具体目标是审查（1）两个规范性发展进程的轨迹之间的联系（即，种族认同，自主性）和墨西哥裔青少年母亲的心理社会功能轨迹（例如，抑郁症状），并确定调节这些关联的家庭、同伴和文化特征;（2）家庭（即，母亲-青少年冲突），经济（即，经济困难），和文化（即，（3）青少年母亲的心理社会功能轨迹如何预测其养育行为，进而预测其子女的健康和发展轨迹;我们还将测试家庭、同伴和文化特征，这些特征调节了这些关联。重点关注墨西哥裔儿童至关重要，因为拉丁美洲人（其中墨西哥裔占大多数）一再被确定为负面健康和行为结果的高危人群，事实上，在《2010年健康人群》确定的几乎所有主要健康指标中，拉丁美洲人都显示出适应不良的巨大风险（CDC，2008年）。 公共卫生相关性：拉丁美洲人在2010年健康人群（CDC，2008）确定的几乎所有主要健康指标中表现出更大的适应不良风险，并在美国承担了不成比例的疾病，伤害，死亡和残疾负担（CDC，2004 a）。此外，墨西哥裔青少年女性的青少年怀孕率在全国名列前茅（这一比例是全国平均水平的两倍多;国家生命统计报告，2005年）。这项研究将大大有助于了解如何促进墨西哥裔青少年母亲及其幼儿的积极健康和发展，这符合卫生部长关于解决拉丁美洲人和其他少数民族之间健康差距的呼吁（美国卫生部长，2008年）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This study will examine how developmental, family, cultural, and economic factors interact to inform the health and development of two groups of children who are disproportionately at risk for negative health outcomes: Mexican-origin adolescent mothers and their young children. Adolescent females of Mexican origin have the highest national birthrate, and it is over twice the overall national rate (National Vital Statistics Report, 2005). Because children of adolescent mothers are at increased risk for negative outcomes (Chandra, Schivello, Ravi, Weinstein, & Hook, 2002) and adolescent mothers' psychosocial functioning has been identified as a predictor of children's health and development (Carothers, Borkowski, Lefever, & Whitman, 2005), it is critical to examine the factors that inform adolescent mothers' psychosocial functioning, their parenting behaviors, and in turn, their children's health and development. We propose to build on our study of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers, their mothers or mother figures (referred to in our study as the female family member; FFM), and their infants, which involved data gathered from adolescents and FFMs during the adolescents' third trimester of pregnancy (Wave 1), and from adolescent mothers, FFMs, and infants when infants were 10 months of age (Wave 2) and again when infants were 24 months of age (Wave 3). We propose to collect three additional points of measurement from all three family members in the 206 families who participated in the original project (N = 618). This longitudinal, multi-generational study will capture cultural, family, and developmental processes and outcomes for a) adolescent mothers and FFMs over a five-year period beginning when adolescent mothers are in middle/late adolescence (i.e., 15-18 years of age) through emerging adulthood (20-23 years of age), and b) their young children from infancy (i.e., 10 months) through early childhood (i.e., 5 yrs of age). Specific aims are to examine (1) the linkages between trajectories of two normative developmental processes (i.e., ethnic identity, autonomy) and trajectories of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers' psychosocial functioning (e.g., depressive symptoms) from middle/late adolescence through emerging adulthood, and to identify family, peer, and cultural characteristics that moderate these associations; (2) how family (i.e., mother-adolescent conflict), economic (i.e., economic hardship), and cultural (i.e., acculturative stress and discrimination) stressors are linked to adolescent mothers' trajectories of psychosocial functioning, and to investigate the family, peer, and cultural characteristics that moderate these associations; and (3) how trajectories of adolescent mothers' psychosocial functioning predict their parenting behaviors and, in turn, trajectories of their children's health and development; we also will test family, peer, and cultural characteristics that moderate these associations. A focus on Mexican- origin children is critical because Latinos (of which Mexican-origin are a majority) are repeatedly identified as an at-risk population for negative health and behavioral outcomes and, in fact, show substantial risk for maladjustment in almost all leading health indicators identified by Healthy People 2010 (CDC, 2008). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Latinos show greater risk for maladjustment in almost all of the leading health indicators identified by Healthy People 2010 (CDC, 2008) and bear a disproportionate burden of disease, injury, death, and disability in the U.S. (CDC, 2004a). Furthermore, Mexican-origin adolescent females lead the nation in rates of teen pregnancy (with rates over twice the national average; National Vital Statistics Report, 2005). This research will contribute significantly to understanding how to promote positive health and development among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers and their young children, which is in line with the Surgeon General's call to address health disparities among Latinos and other ethnic minorities (U.S. Surgeon General, 2008).