The birth of a premature infant constitutes a major life event in the life course of a teen parent. Little is known about this important life experience from the perspective of African American teen mothers. The purpose of this study is to explore the life experience of African American adolescent mothers parenting children born prematurely.
Specific aims of this study are to 1) explore how parenting a prematurely-born-child intersects with the developmental tasks of the adolescent and 2) examine the influence of intergenerational and cultural attributes on African American teen parenting behavior. A qualitative descriptive design informed by ethnography will be employed in order to achieve an in-depth understanding of the African American adolescent experience of parenting children born prematurely. Data generation methods will involve participant observation, minimally- structured interviews, and demographic data. The significance of this study is to establish a better understanding of the multidimensional influences on African American adolescent parenting behavior in order to facilitate the development of interventions that will help to improve their life chances and inform current policy and practice in order to more effectively meet the needs of this vulnerable population. ? ? ?
