Citation

Stevens JH, Duffield BN. Early Child Res. Q. 1986; 1(3): 221-235.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1986, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0885-2006(86)90031-1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Using a sample of 158 low-income black women and their infants, this study examined the relation between mother's age and measures of maternal behavior reflecting verbal responsivity, punitiveness, and instrumental support for intellectual development. Scores were obtained for children on the Bayley Mental Development Index (Bayley, 1969) and for mothers on the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Scale for Infants (Caldwell & Bradley, in press). When education was controlled, mother's present age was positively correlated with general parenting ability and with verbal responsivity and non-punitiveness. However, among women 21 years of age and older, those who became parents while teenagers manifested less optimal parenting and had infants who showed less optimal mental development.