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

Abstract

A 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 maternal identity in the transition period for adolescent motherhood. Future healthcare interventions for adolescent mothers during the transitional period should aim to provide social support and the increase ability of adolescent mothers to manage the physical and psychological challenges of young motherhood, and enhance new mothers' knowledge about caring for babies. Keywords: Adolescent, Motherhood, Role, Social support