Pregnant African American Teenagers’ Expectations of Their Infants’ Temperament: Individual and Social Network Influences

Factors associated with pregnant teenagers’ expectations of their infants’ temperament were examined. A total of 126 pregnant African American teenagers were included in the study, all of whom were expecting their first baby. The teenagers’ expectations for their infants’ temperament was assessed using Mebert and Kalinowski’s (1986) modified version of the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ). Pregnant teenagers who were anxious and/or depressed tended to expect their infants to have more difficult temperaments. In addition, those teenagers who were more satisfied with current support resources and perceived their maternal relationships as more warm and accepting tended to have more positive expectations of their infants’ temperament. Finally, expectant teens who held more accurate beliefs and knowledge about infant development and milestones had more positive expectations of their infants. Implications of these findings for future research and intervention are discussed.