The circle of life. (FYI).

For teenage mothers who are wards of the state, whether a main parenting figure had been a teenage parent could be a critical predictor of psychosocial outcomes, according to findings based on telephone interviews with 139 mothers aged 14-20 who were in the care of the Illinois child welfare agency. (1) Nearly all of the young mothers had a main parenting figure, and half reported that this person (typically their mother or another female relative) had been a teenage parent. On average, those whose main parenting figure had been a teenage parent scored significantly higher than others on a standard scale measuring parenting stress. Their scores on two subscales indicated that they experienced elevated levels of parental distress (e.g., depression and social isolation) and reduced levels of satisfaction with their interactions with their child. Furthermore, their educational attainment was reduced by about one-half year. The researchers comment that if `"problems beget problems,' ... then perhaps the converse is true; promoting safe, stable, and nurturing relationships across generations for at-risk mothers may benefit the next generation."

(1.) Felix ED et al., Cross-generational parenting influences on psychosocial functioning of adolescent mothers in substitute care, Journal of Adolescent Research, 2003, 18(2):154-168.

FYI is compiled and written by Dore Hollander, executive editor of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.