Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Mental health of adolescent mothers
1Child and Adolescent Outpatient Department, Cornell University Medical Center, Westchester Division, New York, NY.
Objective:
To propose an assessment and intervention model for adolescent mothers that evaluates the influence of physical, cognitive, affective, and interpersonal development on such areas of psychological dysfunction as unprotected sexual activity, substance abuse, and psychopathology.
Method:
More than 100 studies were reviewed to identify correlations between discrete developmental events and evidence of psychological dysfunction in adolescent mothers.
Results:
The adolescent's nascent developmental skill in one domain of functioning (e.g., cognitive) frequently exerts a synergistic effect on other areas of functioning (e.g., affective). This synergy increases the likelihood of psychological dysfunction. In turn, psychological dysfunction affects the emerging relationship between the adolescent mother and her infant.
Conclusion:
The interaction between the nascent developmental status of the adolescent caregiver and her psychosocial environment enhances the probability of a maladaptive exchange between mother and infant. A model designed to overcome the adolescent's developmental limitations and promote adaptive interaction with the infant may avert dyadic interpersonal failure.
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