Prior Personal Relationships Predict how Well Teens Function as Parents

Study of young, economically disadvantaged parents and their children

In 1999–2001, the University of Utah Department of Psychology conducted the third round of data collection and analysis for the Young Parenthood Project.

The long-term goal of the Young Parenthood Project is to develop and implement a preventive intervention program designed to facilitate positive adjustment to parenthood.

Key Findings

  • Adjustment to parenthood is influenced by a complex confluence of factors.
  • Many young couples appeared to have adjusted to parenthood more positively than expected given their particular set of obstacles.
  • The quality of a young couple's relationship is a potent predictor of how well an adolescent mother and her partner will function as parents and co-parents.
  • Young couples' own parents are valuable resources in their adjustment to parenthood.

Funding

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) supported this project with a grant of $107,910 from September 1999 to August 2001.

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