Mother-Infant Interactions of Teen-Age Mothers as Measured at Six Months in a Natural Setting

Abstract

Mother-infant interaction of 14 teen-age mothers and their six-month-old infants was observed in the home and compared with that of 12 women 20 years or older and their infants. A further group was designated a “noncontact” group and was seen only at the beginning and end of the first year and was a control for research intervention or experimenter effects. Teen-agers showed few significant differences from older mothers in their mothering skills as measured by simple frequency distributions of individual behaviors and social interaction. Transitional probabilities and flow of interaction matrixes also revealed few significant differences. Like previous studies, the present study found that teen-age mothers showed high warmth and physical interaction but low verbal interaction with their infants. Support of the mothers through experience in the observational sessions may have influenced the results. The possibility is noted of differences in patterns of mothering as the infant develops.