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Pregnancy Intention Status: Its Influence on Maternal Behavior and Offspring Aggression

Mack, Julia M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1268690730

Abstract Details

2010, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Sociology.
Negative consequences associated with both teen and unintended pregnancies have been widely examined within a broad array of sociological literature. Analyses studying both unintended and teen pregnancies come to similar conclusions; children born to adolescent mothers or born unintentionally are more likely to face aversive outcomes than their counterparts. Of particular importance, children born to teen mothers are at greater risk of chronic, physical aggression during the early years of childhood. However, the combined influence of both unintended and teen pregnancy on aggressive behavior has been largely neglected throughout past research. Therefore the current analysis focuses on the impact of unintended pregnancy on the child’s aggressive behavior, paying particular attention to the mediating factors of the mother’s bond to and involvement with her child. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, findings from this analysis indicate that a mother’s unintended pregnancy does increase the child’s use of physical aggression. While maternal age is also predictive of increased offspring aggression, the effect of age is significantly reduced once accounting for the intention status of the pregnancy. Additionally, OLS regression analyses suggest that when both bond and involvement are added to the model, maternal bond and involvement mediate the relationship between unintended pregnancy and child’s aggressive behavior. Finally, when controlling for all other variables, conceiving unintentionally significantly reduces a mother’s bond with her child, while giving birth at a young age reduces the mother’s involvement with her child.
Jorge Chavez, PhD (Advisor)
Alfred DeMaris, PhD (Committee Member)
Raymond Swisher, PhD (Committee Member)
77 p.
Criminology; Sociology
unintended pregnancy; offspring aggression; teen mothers; Gottfredson and Hirschi

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mack, J. M. (2010). Pregnancy Intention Status: Its Influence on Maternal Behavior and Offspring Aggression [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1268690730

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mack, Julia. Pregnancy Intention Status: Its Influence on Maternal Behavior and Offspring Aggression. 2010. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1268690730.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mack, Julia. "Pregnancy Intention Status: Its Influence on Maternal Behavior and Offspring Aggression." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1268690730

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1268690730
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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.