Young African American mothers' changing perceptions of their infants during the transition to parenthood

Bibliographic Data

ID11276151
AuthorsCynthia O Lashley (Queens College, CUNY, corresponding author), Sydney L Hans (0000-0003-4582-4102, University of Chicago), Linda G Henson (University of Chicago)
Year2009
Volume30
Issue5
Pages477-500
Publication date2009-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInfant Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-9641 • E-ISSN: 1097-0355
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/imhj.20225
PMID28543678
OpenAlexW2128009865
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited57

Although theory and empirical research with middle‐class, mostly White women have suggested that motherhood is an important developmental transition for women, rarely have investigations of adolescent motherhood systematically examined developmental change. This study examines one aspect of change during the transition to parenthood: the mother's emerging perception of her infant. During pregnancy and at 4 months' postpartum, 220 urban African American mothers between the ages of 13 and 21 years were asked to describe their infants. Content analysis of their responses and ratings of the affective tone of the responses suggest that there are changes from pregnancy to 4 months after the birth that parallel shifts noted in literature on women going through the transition to motherhood as adults. Between pregnancy and 4 months, there was a decreasing focus on infant health and physical appearance and an increasing focus on infant behavioral achievements and personality characteristics. Of particular importance to mothers was that their infants be “good” babies who were easy to care for and were easily accepted by the family. Mothers imagined physical similarities with their infants during pregnancy and describe aspects of their interaction and emotional bond with their infants at 4 months. Overall, mothers' descriptions of their babies were quite positive, increasingly positive over time, and offered little evidence that for these young African American women the transition to parenthood was problematic

African american · Biology · Developmental psychology · Ethnology · Perception · Sociology · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender Studies · Psychology