Connecting With Adolescent Mothers: Perspectives of Hospital-Based Perinatal Nurses

Adolescent mothers are more likely to be dissatisfied with their perinatal nursing care than adult mothers. The purpose of this interpretive descriptive study was to explore adolescent-friendly care from the perspective of hospital-based perinatal nurses. Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with nurses with expertise caring for adolescent mothers. Open-ended questions were used to determine how they adapted their nursing practice when caring for adolescents, how they learned to provide adolescent-friendly care, and the facilitators and barriers to providing adolescent-friendly care. Nurses described two main goals: (a) delivering a positive experience and (b) ensuring mother and infant safety. They accomplished these goals by being nonjudgmental, forming a connection, and individualizing nursing care. The nurses described being mother-friendly, regardless of maternal age, and employing strategies to develop a nurse-adolescent mother therapeutic relationship. This research contributes to our understanding of how hospital-based perinatal nurses engage and support adolescent mothers.