Teen Parents Project

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Teen Parents Project

• Professor Carol Morse, Director Health
  Wellbeing Research
• Meredith McIntyre, Senior Lecturer School of
  Nursing Midwifery

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Teen Parents Project

• Title
• Teen Parents examining the influences of
  place on their social inequities and mental
  wellbeing.

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Purpose of the Project

• To identify which neighbourhood and psychosocial
  characteristics play an enhancing or compressing
  role in the lives of young parents and the
  barriers that preclude a return to education and
  training.

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Project Objectives

• a) identify the personal, interpersonal and
  ecological determinants that influence a teenager
  to proceed with a pregnancy (Ecological Model of
  development Glass Balfour, 2003
  Bronfenbrenner, 1989)
• b) identify the contributions of various sources
  of social capital on the present experiences and
  future hopes and decision-making among young
  parents

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Project Objectives cont

• c) carry out a pilot study and evaluate the
  utility of an intergenerational buddy programme
  to assist young parents to retrieve their
  educational prospects for a better future
• d) evaluate the efficacy of teen sexual health
  and reproduction education subjects variously
  constructed and delivered to secondary school
  students and

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Project Objectives cont

• e) use the findings to provide fresh policy
  recommendations that can guide community health
  and education services in the provision of
  relevant interventions for young parents and
  their children.

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Project Design

• Methodologies.
• A two phase project is proposed utilising both
  quantitative and qualitative approaches
• Phase 1
• Retrospective evaluation of sex education and
  impacts on decision making related to sexual
  behaviours
• Phase 2
• Young parents ecological model (mentorship
  program)

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Project Design

• Phase 1
• Structured interview, young women and men aged
  15-20 years who are either pregnant or already
  parents (n300,
• Questionnaire young women and men aged 15-20
  years non parents (n1000)
• Phase 2
• Trial a pilot Buddy program where young parents
  are linked with an older mature person to receive
  mentoring in a range of educational endeavours
  that result in the teen being accepted into
  workplace training or TAFE
• Career counselling, assessment of literacy,
  numeracy and computer skills, generic negotiation
  skills, mentorship through resume development
  personal presentation and interview skills.

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Evidence to Support the need for this research?

• Sources
• Epidemiological audit Mornington Peninsula
  (Monash University 2005)
• Greater attrition from secondary education 31
  45
• Perinatal Births Data base (2003)
• Teen births 5.4 (Vic average 2.9)
• Frankston City Council Health Wellbeing Plan
  2002-2007)
• Low culture of learning
• A Fairer Victoria creating opportunities and
  addressing disadvantage (2005)
• Recommendations supporting youth mentoring schemes

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Community Consultation and Partner Building

• Community Consultation Exercise Undertaken
• Community Health Services
• Frankston Peninsula
• Youth
• City Council Services
• Frankston Peninsula
• Youth MCH
• Peninsula Health Network
• Core of Life
• Community Health Services

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In Summary

• Project fit
• National Research Priority 2
• Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
• A Healthy Start to Life
• Health Wellbeing (Health inequities, Vic Health
  2005)
• Teen mothers are more likely to live in areas of
  geographical disadvantages, be single, to have
  been unaware of their pregnancy and gestation
  progression, experience high emotional distress
  and mental health problems, engage in adverse
  health behaviours substances use that are
  deleterious to themselves and their foetus /
  offspring, endure domestic violence, poverty, be
  the product of a teen pregnancy, be ignorant
  about sex and sexually transmitted infections and
  have greater exposure to petty and grand crimes
  (Centre for Adolescent Health)