Stigmatized or supported? How do teen mums fare in the health-care system?

Educational Studies and Health Promotion graduate student Genevieve Creighton wants to find out.

In a master’s thesis project, Creighton reviewed and analyzed newsletters, Canadian public-health magazine articles and journals that discussed teen pregnancy and motherhood to find out how teen mums are characterized in public health literature and practice. Terms such as “babies having babies” and “sexually unrestrained” are common, she says.

“I was surprised by the moral tenor that still exists,” she says. “Despite relatively progressive government health policies about youth and sexuality, teen mothers are still stereotyped as emotionally and socially lost or damaged girls and poor mothers.”

The average number of teens who give birth in Canada is 42 out of every 1,000 with Aboriginal teens becoming mothers at 18 times this rate, according to research published in 2005.

“There are lots of blaming messages out there for teen mothers,” says Creighton. She found that mothers who didn’t take health-care providers’ advice on issues such as diet, substance use and exercise were characterized as immature and contrary…..

“My experience of these women was very different from the common perception found in many helping agencies,” says the 34-year-old. “I found many of these mums to be strong, dedicated individuals who wanted to be good mothers. For some, having a child turned their lives around and motivated them to create a better life for themselves and their baby.”

Her research showed that within the mainstream health-care system in Canada, adolescent mothers are characterized in academic health journals and nursing magazines that describe programs for young mothers, as poor decision-makers who risk their health and that of their child with the decision to continue their pregnancy. Stated risks included increased incidence of pre-and post-natal complications and increased risk of child abuse.

Creighton does not dispute the risks, but her research has led her to conclude that factors such as poverty, isolation and lack of social support are the causes, not the age of the mother.

“These attitudes can have a negative impact on the health of these women, because they are reluctant to seek health-care services for fear they will be judged and not treated with the same respect as other patients.”….

What do teen mothers need?

“They need the same things that make life better for all mums and kids – social and financial support, child care, and good nutrition,” says Creighton…