Experiences of Adolescent and Young Mothers Through Pregnancy and Motherhood and the Influence of Stressors and Supports

Aim: To describe how stressors and supports influence young mothers’ emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and postpartum. Design: Semi-structured interviews analyzed using grounded theory based on Corbin and Strauss. Methods: Twenty young mothers between 17-25 years old with children under 3 years old were interviewed about their emotional wellbeing, social supports, and stressors during pregnancy and postpartum. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using theoretical sampling, open coding was completed in NVivo and secondary coding was completed in Microsoft Excel. Results: Eleven themes were derived from the qualitative analysis and can be organized into four main categories: (1) experiences and perceptions of pregnancy and motherhood, (2) stressors experienced during pregnancy and motherhood, (3) social supports experienced during pregnancy and motherhood, and (4) the transition from pregnancy to motherhood. Conclusions: Young mothers began pregnancy with overwhelmingly negative feelings about the prospect of motherhood. Emotional support from peers, romantic partners, and family members helped some mothers develop more positive feelings towards motherhood. Implications: Future interventions may want to strengthen the mother-daughter relationship as young mothers relied on their mothers to provide the emotional support and friendship that they would have otherwise sought from friends.