Being A Teenage Mother With A Mild Disability: Experiences İn Motherhood And Expectations From Service Providers
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Abstract
The aim of this ethnographic study was to gain an in-depth understanding related to the experiences of adolescent mothers with mild disabilities in pregnancy and motherhood. Participants were selected from an alternative high school in a rural Midwestern town in the US. Data analysis resulted in three main themes focusing on teenagers' experiences related to pregnancy, motherhood, and experiences and expectations related to service providers. None of the pregnancies was planned. Despite the great emphasis on psycho-social difficulties of teen pregnancy, study participants viewed this experience as an opportunity to better themselves educationally, economically and behaviorally. Being able to build relationships based on face-to-face interactions, mutual trust and open communication was the most valued quality of a service provider. They want their child to be safe and treated respectfully in health and early childhood education institutions.
Keywords
Abstract
The aim of this ethnographic study was to gain an in-depth understanding related to the experiences of adolescent mothers with mild disabilities in pregnancy and motherhood. Participants were selected from an alternative high school in a rural Midwestern town in the US. Data analysis resulted in three main themes focusing on teenagers' experiences related to pregnancy, motherhood, and experiences and expectations related to service providers. None of the pregnancies was planned. Despite the great emphasis on psycho-social difficulties of teen pregnancy, study participants viewed this experience as an opportunity to better themselves educationally, economically and behaviorally. Being able to build relationships based on face-to-face interactions, mutual trust and open communication was the most valued quality of a service provider. They want their child to be safe and treated respectfully in health and early childhood education institutions.