Reclaiming a spoiled maternal identity: Young mothers' experiences and rejection of stigma.

Abstract

Adolescent childbearing is designated as a social problem in contemporary U.S. society and is thus the subject of stigma. This dissertation utilizes a grounded theory method to explore young mothers' perceptions and experiences of stigma. The women who participated in this project described having been exposed to stigma in all facets of their lives, including in their personal relationships (fathers of their babies, family, friends), in interactions with staff of institutions (schools, medical clinics and hospitals, government and aid agencies), as well as in encounters with strangers. In contrast to early stigma theory, young mothers were not passive in the face of stigma; rather they actively responded to the stigma they encountered. Young mothers protected themselves from stigma through the attitude they chose to project and by using friends and family members as buffers in situations where stigma was likely to be experienced. Some young women chose to avoid potentially stigmatized encounters, often in dramatic ways like dropping out of school or refusing to receive prenatal care. All young women rejected our society's stereotypical teen mom identity for themselves. Instead, they actively shaped a positive sense of maternal self-efficacy, taking on a good mom identity. Implications stemming from stigma in the lives of young mothers are explored, both for the young women and their children, as well as for professionals, academics and activists interested in the phenomenon of early childbearing.