Supporting adolescent mothers using Video Interaction Guidance (VIG)

Abstract

Children of adolescent mothers may be more likely to have negative developmental outcomes, which may be mediated by socio-demographic factors and lower levels of maternal sensitivity. In order to support adolescent mothers and the outcomes of their children, there is some evidence to suggest that video feedback interventions may be effective in enhancing maternal sensitivity. However, Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) has not yet been used with an adolescent sample within the UK.

This research used a mixed method design to explore whether VIG enhanced attuned interactions and maternal sensitivity in adolescent mothers. The adolescent mothers’ experiences of VIG as an intervention were also explored using semi-structured interviews. Three adolescent mothers aged 17-18 and their children aged five to 18 months old, were recruited from an organisation that supports adolescent mothers to stay in education. All participants completed three cycles of the VIG intervention and a post-intervention interview. The total number of attuned interactions for all three adolescent mothers increased, however the increase was not statistically significant. Differences in maternal sensitivity after Cycle three were also not statistically significant however one participant’s score increased from medium to high sensitivity. The two other participants’ scores indicated a decrease in sensitivity but remained within the high sensitivity range. Qualitative findings suggest that VIG was a positive and feasible experience for adolescent mothers as it provided an opportunity to learn about their relationship with their child and may have empowered and increased their confidence as adolescent mothers. Implications for Educational Psychology practice and future recommendations for research are discussed.

Date of Award	Dec 2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Supervisor	Agnieszka Graham (Supervisor) & Anthea Percy (Supervisor)