BC Council for Families

by Pilar Onatra
Program Coordinator

What contributes to resilience for teen mothers and their children? To answer that question, researchers from Vancouver Island University have been talking with some of Nanaimo's young mothers.  It's well known that young mothers frequently face many challenges -- the interruption of their schooling, difficulties with housing, ineffective transportation and limited finances for living and daycare. In this study, the researchers' goal was to explore the experiences of adolescent mothers from their own perspective -- what worked for them, what didn't?

The study, Adolescent Mothers II: An Investigation of the Experiences of Adolescent Mothers in Nanaimo BC, is an overview of the lives and experiences of adolescent mothers with the community and its perinatal services. Among the vital supports in the community, the young parent program Little Ferns Early Learning Center was noted as being pivotal for the adolescent mothers in achieving their educational goals.

For the 14 mothers that participated in the study, becoming a mother was a transforming experience: it gave a sense of purpose to their lives, motivated them to do well in school, and reduced their participation in high-risk activities such as  excessive substance use.

Among the issues that the mothers identified in this study:

• Problems with housing: Young mothers reported that their accommodation was often close in proximity to other adolescents, who did not have children and demonstrated behaviours that were not conducive to a nurturing, calm and safe environment needed for young children.  All expressed the need for better housing that was safe, affordable and would encourage a sense of community for young families.
• Support: Overall they all experienced positive support from service providers and found them to be invaluable for providing perinatal support, material supports (clothing, furniture, strollers, and diapers) emotional support, parental support and childcare.  They highly valued the non-judgemental atmospheres encountered at facilities/centres. This kind of atmosphere was reported time and time again as extremely important.
• Perinatal Programs: Many felt that the perinatal programs ended abruptly and that once the classes regarding pregnancy and parenting concluded they felt disconnected from the network of friends and support they had developed.
• Mental Health: It was also suggested there be better support for adolescent mothers dealing with post-partum depression and follow-up to ensure that the depression has not become chronic.
• Relationships: Some teens suggested providing programs for adolescent fathers and more access to couples counseling to help support and strengthen their families in their transition to parenthood.

For more information on the study please contact:
Resilience Research Lab, Dept of Psychology,
Vancouver Island University
Email: resilience@viu.ca