An Evaluation of a Group Intervention for Teenage Mothers and their Families - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... In this context, attempts to develop a unified and cohesive explanation that expounds and formulates the ideas of the report and gives a clear interpretation of the report as a whole have been outlined. In my opinion, the method of choosing subjects suitable for the experimental groups seems to make the research invalid to some audiences and therefore reduce the possibility of the subject being a general analysis. The Title An evaluation of a group work intervention for teenage mothers and their families is the title of this journal. Though it tries to illustrate the target group being researched on, it does not give a hint of the exact problem being evaluated. The words, “teenage mothers and their families” does is ambiguous since we are not sure of which families are in context. The abstract The intervention strategy was specifically purposed to connect the teenage mothers to an experience that is socially inclusive and that which can challenge the social dissatisfaction they often encounter, to strengthen the bond between the mother and the infant but at the same time increasing parental efficacy feelings, and to improve the social framework of teenage mother by decreasing social isolation, stress, and intergenerational family disputes (Balnaves and Caputi, 2001). The methodology used was that of using a young mother, the baby’s father, and the grandmother of the baby to collaborate with multi-agency health and social professionals. Groups that reflected the ethnic variety of the present family members were taught on how to facilitate eight groups meetings on a weekly basis. The meetings included some activities such as singing and crafts, discussing conflict scenarios, and shared a meal. Questionnaires were used to bring out data. The findings showed that there was a positive change in terms of comparison between the pre and post results. There was momentous increase in self-efficacy among teenage mothers, enhanced child-parent bond, reduced in family conflict and stress, and an increaser in social support. However, the abstract does not clearly define the independent and dependent variables. Nothing is told on the presumed causes or effect. The research problem In their analysis, focus on answering some research questions indicated plainly in their work. Their research is based on the previous findings that teenage pregnancy was an issue of concern in the media and in politics. In the USA, Canada, and Great Britain, it was evident that 22%, 11%, and 15% women respectively reported giving birth at the age of twenty or below. This is contrasted to 4% in Sweden, and 6% in France. The writers clearly put across examples of government initiatives set up by the most affected countries to respond to this social problem. A focus on teenage pregnancy has been centered on the effects of child bearing on the mothers and those on the infant. From their findings, the authors comment that mothers below eighteen years tand to have less protective factors on continuing, supportive mature relationships compared to older mothers and have an increased vulnerability to issues that affect negatively the parenting capacity (Abidin, 1995). As a result of the above facts, it is realistic to mention that negative impacts realized from the research may include impaired employment, educational, and economic status, less optimal parenting, higher chances of homelessness, predisposition to child neglect and abuse, and some ...Download file to see next pagesRead More