Identification with and Social Comparison to Teen Mothers on Teen Mom Over Time

ABSTRACT

This study replicates from a cross-sectional study about how young Latina teen viewers identify with and socially compare to teen mothers on MTV’s Teen Mom over time. Identification and social comparison effects on attitudes toward teen pregnancy were assessed among the same group of Latina teen viewers at two different time points approximately one year apart. Results determined that upward social comparison and identification were associated with positive attitudes toward teen pregnancy in eighth grade, whereas downward social comparison was associated with negative attitudes toward teen pregnancy in ninth grade. Implications for teen mom reality programming audiences are discussed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Mighty Girls is a culturally and developmentally tailored intervention consisting of six lessons delivered face-to-face and a highly interactive computer game used for skill building purposes (Norris et al., 2018). Mighty Girls teaches decision making and goal setting, evaluation of risky behavior, peer resistance communication skills, and resistance to descriptive norms. It does not discuss teen pregnancy or media content about teen pregnancy. The intervention also had no effect on attitudes toward teen pregnancy (p > .05).

2. To determine whether being of Cuban origin skewed the results toward this particular country’s cultural attitudes versus attitudes among Latinas in general (of the 24% of participants who were born outside of the US, 58% reported Cuba as their birthplace), a linear mixed-effects model was conducted using a Cuban/Non-Cuban origin variable both with and without birthplace (US born/Non-US born) and had no significant relationship on attitudes toward teen pregnancy nor did it significantly influence the final model’s results. As a result, this variable was excluded from further analysis.

3. Ability to engage in formal operations emerges in early adolescence and is responsible for an imaginary audience effect that drives concern for peer approval (Elkind, 1981), but ability to use causal reasoning requires domain specific practice gained through education and life experience (Cvetkovich et al., 1975).

4. See Felton (2004) comparison of seventh and eighth graders’ argumentation skills.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for the collection of this data was provided by the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies and NINR [R01NR014851; PI, Norris].