Date of Award
Fall 1989
Document Type
Thesis - Restricted
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Brown, Ardene J.
Second Advisor
O'Brien, Maureen
Third Advisor
Lawrence, Donna M.
Abstract
Adolescent pregnancy is an on-going problem in the United States. With over six hundred thousand adolescents becoming mothers each year, nursing has a responsibility to meet the needs of this population. The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge of the needs of hospitalized adolescent mothers based upon their perceptions of needs during the first forty-eight hours postpartum. A convenience sample of thirty adolescent mothers between the ages of thirteen and nineteen was selected from the patient population at a Midwestern hospital. All participants had delivered a live single infant within forty hours of the survey. The participants completed a survey form and ranked the stated needs as to degree of importance. Responses indicate that both early adolescent mothers (n=10) and middle adolescent mothers (n=20) selected knowledge needs as their highest area of concern. This was followed by physical needs and then psychosocial needs. The knowledge need ranked highest by both the early and middle adolescent mothers was how to tell if their baby was sick. The overall group of adolescent mothers selected the need to be free of cramping and the need to be free of pain as their most important physical needs. The highest ranking psychosocial need selected by the adolescent mothers was the need to visit with their baby.
Recommended Citation
Morris, Tama L., "The Perception of Needs of Adolescent Mothers During the First Forty-Eight Hours Postpartum" (1989). Master's Theses (1922-2009) Access restricted to Marquette Campus. 3735.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/theses/3735