Young mothers and social networks
In recent years, psychological and sociological scholars have emphasized the relationship between social support and life satisfaction as a function of family structure. Many young women have been confronted with the reality of mother hood. Many young women that have children rely on a social support system to help them with the needs of parenting. In return, young women that have the various supports have a positive emotional well-being. Wan, Jaccard and Ramey (1996) stated that if young mothers find their role stressful, this m ay ultimately lead to less satisfaction in life. A well-developed social support network might help to alleviate these stresses, thereby making the role of parent more satisfying and providing the young mother with more opportunities for personal growth. ... Social supports from friends and relatives is linked to the young women’s life satisfaction. The relationship between social support and emotional well-being implies an indirect effect of social support upon quality of parenting. Rickel (1995) stated that a large body of research supports the idea that in many situations social support provided an effective buffer against the effects of stress. Social support would appear to be a critical factor in helping teen mothers interact appropriately with their children. The young mothers primary source of social support is usually her family. Wan, Jaccard and Ramey (1996) would not only conclude that the family is the primary social support for young mothers, but married women are. Married women strongly influenced the young mothers in all aspects of the support system.