Adolescent mothers' experiences of the transition to motherhood: An integrative review

Publication date: Available online 25 March 2019Source: International Journal of Nursing SciencesAuthor(s): Erfina Erfina, Widyawati Widyawati, Lisa McKenna, Sonia Reisenhofer, Djauhar IsmailAbstractA woman experiences heightened vulnerability and faces tremendous challenges when transitioning to motherhood. This is exacerbated for young mothers and studies have shown that adolescent mothers experience an increased burden of responsibility during the transition to motherhood. Recent research addressing the experiences of adolescent mothers has increased. However, the current literature on this topic is still fragmented. The aim of this study was to conduct an integrative review of the literature to explore adolescent mothers' experiences of transition to motherhood and identify associated factors. The literature was searched using electronic databases: Medline, Cumulative index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ProQuest, Scopus and PubMed. Relevant articles published in English from February 2005 to 2018 were included. Eighteen articles were included in the analysis. Based on this review, factors influencing a successful to transition to motherhood for adolescents included physical problems related to birth and breastfeeding, psychological well-being, ability to care for their baby, social support, education and economic strain and the provision of healthcare. The literature indicated a relationship between social supports and the development of positive mater...
Source: International Journal of Nursing Sciences - Category: Nursing Source Type: research