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

Abstract

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.