Parental Outcomes for Teenage Mothers Living in Poverty: Moderation Effects of Head Start

Purpose: In the United States, policy makers and researchers tend to take a social problem or deficit stance when it comes to teenage pregnancy and motherhood; however, many feminist and strengths-based researchers show that actually teenage mothers display strengths and have inadequate support and low accessibility to inclusive services. To inform professionals and interventions, this study aims to assess the societal challenges, support systems, mental health status, characteristics, and parenting practices of teenage mothers to best understand what impact Head Start has on outcomes for teenage mothers. Research questions included: (1) Compared to non-teenage mothers, do teenage mothers have different maternal outcomes such as informal social support, formal social service use, mental health, and child rearing skills? (2) Does Head Start have any impacts on outcomes for teenage mothers?

Methods: This study utilizes Head Start Impact Study data to examine if Head Start impacts teenage mothers’ outcomes. The Head Start Impact Study is a high-quality, randomized, nationally representative data set that was collected beginning in 2002 and going until 2006. The participants of the study were randomly assigned into either a Head Start intervention group (n = 2,646) or a control group (n = 1,796) where parents could sign up for other early education services in their community. Among 3,576 participants, 579 mothers identified as teenage mothers (Under 19 years old). Our study first used t-tests to compare baseline characteristics and then utilized regression analyses to determine if maternal outcomes differ and the interaction effects between Head Start enrollment and status of teen mothers.

Results: Teen mothers had less education, lower family incomes, and were less likely to be married than non-teenage mothers. Teenage mothers were most likely to identify as African American and least likely to identify as Hispanic. Teenage mothers were more likely to speak English at home and live in rural areas. Further, regression analysis indicated that teenage mothers used less formal social services and displayed less mental health problems than non-teenage mothers. Teenage mothers participating in Head Start had more informal social support and less neglectful parenting practices than non-participating teenage mothers.

Implications: Study implications indicate that professions should include teen mothers’ voices to inform service needs, increase strengths-based interventions to ensure accessibility and inclusion of participants, and raise awareness or create non-stigmatizing programs for minority teen mothers and those living in rural areas. Additionally, Head Start was found effective in increasing informal social support and positive parenting among teen mothers; and therefore, Head Start centers should ensure they are accessible and inclusive to teen mothers eligible for the program. Finally, this study calls for social workers and social work researchers to promote more feminist theory and strengths-based interventions, including shifting deficit-based perspectives on teen mothers.

Key Words: Teenage mothers; Head Start; Parental outcomes; Social support; Social service, Mental health