Adolescent Parents and Toddlers: Strategies for Intervention

Adolescents share many developmental similarities with toddlers. When an adolescent becomes a mother, the parent‐toddler relationship is affected by the level of development of both individuals. It may be nurturing and satisfying, or it may be conflicted and frustrating for both. By comparing the developmental similarities the two share, the nurse is provided with a framework for assessing and working with these clients. SUMMARY Adolescent parents share many developmental similarities with their toddlers. The adolescent mother, who is usually the primary caretaker, is at risk for conflict with her child as the two pass through similar developmental stages. Issues of independence, limit testing, cognitive changes, and mobility surface for both individuals and may increase the potential for parent‐child conflict. Nurses are in an excellent position to assess these families for conflict and intervene appropriately. A continuing relationship with these families enables nurses to be a resource and assist adolescent assuming a successful parenting role. Specific strategies such as providing adolescents with a chance to role‐play difficult parent‐child interactions, providing them with concrete suggestions and demonstrations for handling toddler behavior, and planning respite care are helpful. The goal of such individualized care is the healthy growth and development of both young parents and young children.