Faculty Publications

College Students' Positivity Toward Teen Mothers

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Social stigma, Stereotypes, Teen mothers

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Journal of Family Social Work

Volume

14

Issue

3

First Page

237

Last Page

246

Abstract

Although teen pregnancy and parenthood are more visible in society than in the past, teen mothers are often stereotyped and stigmatized. The study examined positivity toward teen mothers among college students (N = 316) at a midwestern university. Although students responded positively to some items regarding teen mothers, other statements showed endorsements of stereotypes. Positivity toward teen mothers was positively related to empathy and classification (freshman, sophomore, etc.). Those who did not report having a teen mother in their family had higher levels of positivity than those who reported having a teen mother in their family. Research should examine perceptions of teen mothers among social workers and interventionists as a moderator of intervention effectiveness. © Taylor & Francis Group.

Department

School of Applied Human Sciences

Original Publication Date

5-1-2011

DOI of published version

10.1080/10522158.2011.571541

Link to Full Text

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