Friend Support and the Parenting of Latina Adolescent Mothers: The Moderating Role of Maternal Age.

Objectives: This study examined the role of maternal age in the relation between social support from friends and parenting adjustment in a sample of young Latina mothers and their 18-month-old children (=168).

Methods: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses tested friend social support types (emotional, socializing, child care) as differential predictors of maternal behavior (sensitivity, cognitive growth-fostering, detachment) displayed during mother-child play interactions. To consider maternal development, the moderating role of maternal age on these associations was tested.

Dyadic synchrony among young Latina mothers and their toddlers: The role of maternal and child behavior.

Synchronous interactions are an important indicator of parent-child relationship quality with positive implications for child development. Latina adolescent mothers face several demographic challenges that place them at risk for less synchronous interactions. To identify factors that may facilitate more optimal parent-child relationships in this population, our study examined maternal sensitivity and children's behavioral styles as joint predictors of dyadic synchrony among young Latina mothers and their toddlers.

Developmental outcomes of toddlers of young Latina mothers: Cultural, family, and parenting factors.

Children of adolescent mothers are at risk for poor developmental outcomes. This study is among the first to examine how cultural, family, and parenting factors prospectively predict the cognitive and language development of children of young Latina mothers (N=170; Mage=17.9 years).