The Home Environment of Métis, First Nations, and Caucasian Adolescent Mothers: An Examination of Quality and Influences

Abstract

This longitudinal exploratory study compared maternal psychosocial, situational, and home-environment characteristics at 4 weeks and at 12-18 months postnatal for a convenience sample of 71 Métis, First Nations, and Caucasian adolescent mothers.The combined group of Métis/First Nations mothers had significantly higher infant-care emotionality scores than the Caucasian mothers at 4 weeks. The Caucasian mothers scored considerably higher on quality of the home environment; a refined multiple regression model containing infant-care emotionality, education level of the infant's maternal grandmother, ethnicity,and enacted social support explained 49% of the variance, with significant influences being infant-care emotionality and grandmother's education level.